scraggly
Thin and untidy
Scraggly describes something thin, uneven, and unkempt—growing or hanging in irregular, straggling clumps.
A scraggly beard is patchy and poorly maintained.
Scraggly bushes are sparse and ragged.
The word suggests neglect or natural disorder: a few scraggly trees at the edge of the parking lot, his scraggly hair hadn't been cut in months.
Uneven in surface
- shaggyLong, coarse, untidy
- bristlyCovered with stiff hairs
- pricklySpiny or irritable
- coarseRough in texture
wiry · stubbly · fuzzy · scratchy · stringy · tangled · knotted · matted
Untidy in appearance
- scruffyMessily neglected in appearance
- bedraggledWet, dirty, untidy
- tousledDisordered, especially hair
- messyLacking order or neatness
shabby · slovenly · rumpled · ratty · frowzy · sloppy · tangled · wild
Small in diameter
- patchyIrregular in coverage
- wispyThin and insubstantial
- scantyInsufficient in amount
- meagerDeficient in quantity
straggling · scattered · spotty · bare · gappy · irregular · uneven · threadbare
rough
Uneven in surface
coarse · wiry · stubbly · fuzzy · scratchy · stringy · tangled · knotted · matted · frayed
disheveled
Untidy in appearance
- scruffyMessily neglected in appearance
- bedraggledWet, dirty, untidy
- tousledDisordered, especially hair
messy · shabby · slovenly · rumpled · ratty · frowzy · sloppy · tangled · wild · uncombed
thin
Small in diameter
meager · straggling · scattered · spotty · bare · gappy · irregular · uneven · threadbare · balding
bony
Thin, with protruding skeleton
angular · scrawny · emaciated · haggard · pinched · wizened · weathered · drawn · skeletal · rawboned
wild
Not domesticated or controlled
unkempt · rambling · sprawling · straggling · leggy · woody · bushy · unruly · untrimmed · unpruned