scrawling
Writing hastily, carelessly
Scrawling is writing in a hasty, careless, or illegible manner.
The word emphasizes messiness over speed—scrawled handwriting sprawls across the page with uneven letters and poor control: She was scrawling notes in the margins.
Scrawling can also describe drawing or marking surfaces carelessly: graffiti scrawled on the subway walls.
Attaching identifying markers
- vandalismWillful property damage
- muralsLarge wall paintings
- spraypaintPressurized pigment in cans
- tagsIdentifiers for sorting items
bombing · throwups · pieces · stencil · underpass · alleyway · crew · marker
Cannot be read
- cursiveJoined handwriting style
- penmanshipSkill of forming letters
- scriptWritten words for performance
- longhandUnabbreviated handwriting
jotting · inscription · manuscript · notation · transcription · loops · strokes · ballpoint
Arising without external cause
- hurriedDone too quickly
- rushedDone with excessive speed
- quickMoving with speed
- spur-of-the-momentDone without advance planning
impatient · careless · rapid · frantic · urgent · last-minute · fleeting · offhand
Careless and untidy
- chaoticTotally without arrangement
- untidyLacking neatness or order
- haphazardLacking organization or plan
- blurredIndistinct, lacking clarity
smudged · smeared · illegible · overlapping · cramped · faded · blotchy · inkstained
Blank pages for jottings
- marginEdge of a page
- napkinMealtime wiping cloth
- receiptWritten payment acknowledgment
- envelopeFolded paper enclosure
whiteboard · chalkboard · notepad · post-it · paper · sticky note · journal · diary
tagging
Attaching identifying markers
- vandalismWillful property damage
- muralsLarge wall paintings
- spraypaintPressurized pigment in cans
tags · bombing · throwups · pieces · stencil · underpass · alleyway · crew · marker · subway
illegible
Cannot be read
- cursiveJoined handwriting style
- penmanshipSkill of forming letters
- scriptWritten words for performance
longhand · jotting · inscription · manuscript · notation · transcription · loops · strokes · ballpoint · fountain pen
spontaneous
Arising without external cause
spur-of-the-moment · impatient · careless · rapid · frantic · urgent · last-minute · fleeting · offhand
sloppy
Careless and untidy
- chaoticTotally without arrangement
- untidyLacking neatness or order
- haphazardLacking organization or plan
blurred · smudged · smeared · illegible · overlapping · cramped · faded · blotchy · inkstained · disordered
notebook
Blank pages for jottings
envelope · whiteboard · chalkboard · notepad · post-it · paper · sticky note · journal · diary · placemat
- vandalismvandalism, defacement, tagging, defacing, graffiti tags
- Writing Activitiesjotting, scribbling, note-taking, typing, keying
scrawlingcalligraphy
Ornamental handwriting art
penmanship · copperplate · inscribing · lettering · illuminating