scrawny
UK /ˈskɹɔːni/ · US /ˈskɹɔni/ adjective
Forms scrawnier scrawniest scranny
- adjective Thin, malnourished, and weak.
Synonyms
angular anorexic carrion emaciated gangling gangly gaunt haggard stringy macilent lank lanky leptosome pencil-necked puny rangy rawboned reedy scraggy skin and bones boney skinny underweight weedy scrubby stunted
Antonyms
Etymology
A variant of dialectal scranny (“thin; lean; scraggy; poor; scanty; of inferior quality”), perhaps from Old Norse skran (“rubbish; junk”) + -y. Compare Norwegian skran (“lean, thin, skinny”), English scrannel (“lean; meager; poor; worthless”).
Alternatively, perhaps from Old Norse skrælna (“to be shrivelled”).
Webster’s 1913
Etymology [Cf. Scrannel.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “scrawny”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details