Word
scribble
Phoneticsscrib·ble
US/ˈskɹɪbəɫ/
UK/skɹˈɪbəl/
Definition
n. a quick, messy mark or a short note written in a hurry. You use this when you want to describe writing that is not neat or clear.
n. a quick, untidy mark or a brief, hurried note. Often used to describe handwriting that lacks legibility or formal structure.
Examples
“He left a scribble on the mirror for his wife.”
“The detective found a mysterious scribble on the back of the envelope that looked like a phone number.”
“The margins of the manuscript were filled with a series of illegible scribbles, likely representing the author's last-minute thoughts before the final print run.”
Examples
simple
“He left a scribble on the mirror for his wife.”
contextual
“The detective found a mysterious scribble on the back of the envelope that looked like a phone number.”
complex
“The margins of the manuscript were filled with a series of illegible scribbles, likely representing the author's last-minute thoughts before the final print run.”
Real-World Examples
“Their white shirts filled up with messages scribbled by classmates and well-wishers – a colourful record of a shared journey through education.” “He passed the time by scribbling hundreds of letters to Frances, who waited at home in the Bronx.” Etymology
From Middle English scribblen, scriblen, scryblen, scribelen, equivalent to scribe + -le (frequentative suffix).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/scribble