Scrawl

/skrɔːl/

Meaning & Definition

noun

A carelessly or hastily written note or piece of writing.

She received a scrawl on a napkin with a phone number and address.

A messy or illegible handwriting.

The teacher struggled to decipher the student's scrawl on the exam paper.

verb

To write or draw carelessly and quickly.

He would often scrawl his thoughts in a notebook before they slipped away.

To write in a messy or illegible way.

The child's scrawl was difficult to read, but it was clear they had put effort into it.

Middle English 'scrallen', possibly of imitative origin.

scrawl something down

to write something quickly and carelessly.

in a scrawl

written in a hasty or messy style.

torn from the scrawl

to draw attention from hastily written notes.

scribble

to write or draw carelessly.

doodle

a simple, spontaneous, or unconscious drawing made while a person's attention is otherwise occupied.

scratch

to write or mark down hastily.

to write something quickly without care for neatness

Just scrawl it down, I don't need it to look perfect.

to produce something poorly written or drawn

My notes are just a scrawl; I barely understood the lecture.