adjective
scrawny
SKRAW-nee/ˈskrɔːni/
Unattractively thin and bony.
The scrawny dog has conspicuous ribs, narrow hips, and thin legs.
Etymology
Scrawny is apparently a dialectal variant of scranny, “lean, thin.” It describes thinness as meager or wasted, matching the unfavorable sense of being bony; the earlier word’s origin is uncertain.
In context
the birds couldn't find enough food and the chick suffered when the heat wave was there it became scrawny and lightweight
More examples
- His loose sleeves reveal scrawny arms.
- I was a scrawny kid with knobby knees.
- The rescued horse looks scrawnier than the others.
Forms
scrawny · scrawnier · scrawniest
scrawniness noun — The condition of being unattractively thin and bony.
Similar words
- skinny
- Describes very little body fat without necessarily emphasizing boniness.
- emaciated
- Indicates extreme thinness, often caused by illness or starvation.