scrawl 1 of 2

Definition of scrawlnext
as in to scribble
to write or draw hastily or carelessly scrawled a quick note, stuck it in their mailbox, and hurried off

Synonyms & Similar Words

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scrawl

2 of 2

noun

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of scrawl
Verb
The act of scrawling them upon the page is tangible and pleasing. Literary Hub, 21 Nov. 2025 For nine years, guests filed into the quintessential diner, ordering the egg sandwich specials scrawled on a chalkboard and griddled pancakes browned by the flat top, which followed a recipe from Mitchell's grandfather. Lyndsay C. Green, Freep.com, 31 Oct. 2025
Noun
There are notebooks covered in Paulsen’s thin scrawl and play drawings everywhere. Jourdan Rodrigue, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025 Who among us had a little pad on our nightstand, a stack of swollen notebooks beneath our bed, pages puffy with scrawl? Literary Hub, 22 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for scrawl
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scrawl
Verb
  • John Boy locks himself in a bedroom to scribble his thoughts about trains and oceans and whippoorwills in a Big Chief tablet, telling no one in the family about his secret dream of being a writer, until his mother finds the notebooks and confronts him.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 22 Dec. 2025
  • The drawings that filled Yorke and Donwood’s sketchbooks became some of the band’s most iconic insignia, tattooed on arms and scribbled on three-ring binders.
    Zoe Si, New Yorker, 19 Dec. 2025
Noun
  • James was named a starter last season, but was a late scratch from the event because of foot and ankle injuries.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 13 Jan. 2026
  • Because most of the archival footage lacked audio, Iwerks collaborated with Skywalker Sound to create auditory elements — like hammers, paintbrushes and train engines — from scratch.
    Colson Thayer, PEOPLE, 13 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • According to the docuseries, Woroniecki's wife, Rachel, allegedly wrote a letter to Andrea during this time.
    Emily Blackwood, PEOPLE, 10 Jan. 2026
  • One of the dogs had pressure sores on all of its limbs, indicating inactivity, the detective wrote.
    David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 9 Jan. 2026
Noun
  • Script is finding new life in after-school clubs where students can learn to loop and swoosh their handwriting.
    Karina Elwood, Washington Post, 3 Jan. 2026
  • This is also not the voice that was oblivious to what the newspapers and the magazines of the time said about her, or the letters in handwriting that meandered like tendrils on a vine.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 11 Dec. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Scrawl.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scrawl. Accessed 17 Jan. 2026.

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