Definition

Adjective: 1. Resembling a scarecrow in appearance; appearing thin, gaunt, and ragged: Describes a person or figure that is extremely thin, often with tattered clothing or an unkempt appearance, similar to the traditional depiction of a scarecrow.

Usage

This adjective is used to describe a person's physical appearance, emphasizing extreme thinness and a ragged, often neglected look. It carries connotations of being underfed, poorly dressed, and possibly frail or pathetic.

Examples

• The scarecrowish old man wandered the lanes, his coat flapping in the wind.
• After his illness, he looked rather scarecrowish in his now-oversized suit.
• The artist sketched a scarecrowish figure leaning against a fence.

Advanced Usage

• The term can be used metaphorically to describe something that is insubstantial, flimsy, or ineffective, much like a scarecrow that fails to frighten birds.
  • His scarecrowish argument did nothing to sway the committee.

Variants and Related Words

• Scarecrow (n): The original noun referring to a figure dressed in old clothes and set up to scare birds away from crops.
• Scarecrowy (adj): An informal variant with the same meaning as "scarecrowish."

Synonyms

• Gaunt
• Emaciated
• Skeletal
• Ragged
• Tattered

Antonyms

• Plump
• Well-fed
• Robust
• Neat
• Kempt

Adjective

1. resembling a scarecrow in being thin and ragged
   • a forlorn scarecrowish figure