scrawlings
Illegible handwritten marks
Scrawlings are instances of hasty, careless, or illegible writing.
The word suggests something dashed off without attention to neatness or form—notes in margins, graffiti on walls, the messy output of someone writing quickly: The detective tried to make sense of the scrawlings in the dead man's notebook.
Writing briefly
- scribblingIllegible hasty writing
- penmanshipSkill of forming letters
- cursiveJoined handwriting style
- handwritingManual letter formation
illegible · messy · hasty · notes · marginalia · annotations · shorthand · inkwell
Mindless rough sketch
- crayonColored wax stick
- childishImmature in manner
- wobblyTending to teeter
- unevenNot smooth or balanced
primitive · stick figures · drawings · coloring · messy · playful · innocent · school
Attaching identifying markers
- street artIllicit public murals
- vandalismWillful property damage
- spray paintAerosolized coating in cans
- muralsLarge wall paintings
stencil · urban · tags · underpass · subway art · marker · walls · defacement
Cannot be read
- disorderlyNot arranged neatly
- chaoticTotally without arrangement
- jumbledDisordered, lacking arrangement
- clutteredCrowded with disorder
sloppy · tangled · incoherent · haphazard · careless · frantic · hurried · rushed
Original text before publication
- parchmentTreated hide for manuscripts
- vellumPrepared calfskin for writing
- scrollWound document of parchment
- palimpsestReused writing surface, traces remain
codex · scriptorium · ancient · runes · hieratic · cave paintings · petroglyphs · cuneiform
jotting
Writing briefly
- scribblingIllegible hasty writing
- penmanshipSkill of forming letters
- cursiveJoined handwriting style
handwriting · illegible · messy · hasty · notes · marginalia · annotations · shorthand · inkwell · quill
doodle
Mindless rough sketch
uneven · primitive · stick figures · drawings · coloring · messy · playful · innocent · school · homework
tagging
Attaching identifying markers
- street artIllicit public murals
- vandalismWillful property damage
- spray paintAerosolized coating in cans
murals · stencil · urban · tags · underpass · subway art · marker · walls · defacement · scratched
illegible
Cannot be read
- disorderlyNot arranged neatly
- chaoticTotally without arrangement
- jumbledDisordered, lacking arrangement
cluttered · sloppy · tangled · incoherent · haphazard · careless · frantic · hurried · rushed · scattered
manuscript
Original text before publication
- parchmentTreated hide for manuscripts
- vellumPrepared calfskin for writing
- scrollWound document of parchment
palimpsest · codex · scriptorium · ancient · runes · hieratic · cave paintings · petroglyphs · cuneiform · archaeological
scrawlingscalligraphy
Ornamental handwriting art
penmanship · copperplate · illuminated manuscript · illuminated text · typography
scrawlingsofficial documents
Verified governmental or institutional papers
sacred texts · proclamations · edicts · published works · charters