verb / noun

scribble

SKRIB-uhl/ˈskrɪbl/

Hasty or careless writing or drawing.

The young adult scribbles hurried, tangled marks across the blank sheet.

A young adult rapidly scribbles loose tangled pen marks onto a blank sheet, hurried movement, no legible words, no other writing.

Etymology

The proposed ancestor scribillare is a diminutive of “write,” matching the verb’s early sense of hurried, careless writing. It may instead be a native formation with a diminutive suffix; drawing tangled lines is a later extension.

In context

Kara Ronin10:07

… have the the space and the opportunity on a blank page like this to just scribble down my thoughts and write them in a more coherent way

Articulate Your Thoughts Clearly: 3 PRECISE Steps!

More examples

Her signature is an unreadable scribble.
The toddler scribbles across the paper with a crayon.
He scribbled directions on a napkin before leaving.

Forms

scribble · scribbles · scribbled · scribbling

scribbler noun — A person who writes or draws carelessly.

Similar words

scrawl: Emphasizes messy handwriting rather than quick or careless drawing.
doodle: Usually means drawing absentmindedly, rather than writing hurriedly or carelessly.
jot: Emphasizes brief, quick notes without necessarily implying messy handwriting.