scranny

A small, scranny cat stretches in a sunny patch on the floor.

Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Extremely thin or lean: "scranny" describes a person or animal that is very skinny, often to the point of being bony or gaunt.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • After weeks of illness, he looked scranny and weak. (He appeared extremely thin and unhealthy.)
  • The scranny stray cat had visible ribs. (The cat was very skinny, with bones showing.)

Advanced Usage

• "scranny frame": a very thin body structure.

  • Her scranny frame could not withstand the cold. (Her extremely thin body was vulnerable to the weather.)

• "to grow scranny": to become very thin over time.

  • Without proper food, the refugees grew scranny. (They became extremely lean due to malnutrition.)

Variants and Related Words

• Scrawny (adj): a more common variant with the same meaning — very thin and bony.

  • The scrawny puppy was abandoned. (The extremely thin puppy was left alone.)

• Scrawniness (n): the state of being very thin.

  • His scrawniness made him look older. (His extreme thinness aged his appearance.)

Synonyms

• Gaunt: extremely thin, often due to suffering or hunger.
• Bony: having prominent bones due to lack of flesh.
• Lanky: tall and thin, but not necessarily unhealthy.

Phrasal Verbs

Related Idioms

• • After the long illness, he was just a bag of bones. (He was extremely thin, like a skeleton.)