scrawny

adjective

scraw·​ny ˈskrȯ-nē 

scrawnier; scrawniest

: exceptionally thin and slight or meager in body or size

scrawny scrub cattle

scrawniness noun

Choose the Right Synonym for scrawny

lean, spare, lank, lanky, gaunt, rawboned, scrawny, skinny mean thin because of an absence of excess flesh.

lean stresses lack of fat and of curving contours.

a lean racehorse

spare suggests leanness from abstemious living or constant exercise.

the gymnast's spare figure

lank implies tallness as well as leanness.

the lank legs of the heron

lanky suggests awkwardness and loose-jointedness as well as thinness.

a lanky youth, all arms and legs

gaunt implies marked thinness or emaciation as from overwork or suffering.

a prisoner's gaunt face

rawboned suggests a large ungainly build without implying undernourishment.

a rawboned farmer

scrawny and skinny imply an extreme leanness that suggests deficient strength and vitality.

a scrawny chicken

skinny street urchins

Examples of scrawny in a Sentence

The only plants in their yard were a couple of scrawny bushes.

Recent Examples on the Web

Nasir Khan, a scrawny Pakistani American college student living with his parents in Queens, sneaks out and drives his dad’s taxi to a party in Manhattan. —Stephanie Bai, The Atlantic, 8 Feb. 2026

Over their five-month adventure, Lear says the couple became grimier, gruffier, and larger on the top half of their bodies—and a tad bit scrawnier in their legs. —Outside, 7 Feb. 2026

The latter should happen naturally, as Fredrikze expects to grow beyond his current 6-foot, scrawny stature. —Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 27 Jan. 2026

Fish populations have thinned; alligators have become scrawny. —Amy Green, Miami Herald, 9 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

origin unknown

First Known Use

1833, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for scrawny

• bonnie
• bonny
• brawny
• connie
• johnnie
• johnny
• mani
• rani
• tawny
• afghani
• fulani
• romani

Kids Definition

scrawny

adjective

scraw·​ny ˈskrȯ-nē 

scrawnier; scrawniest

: poorly nourished : skinny

scrawniness noun