Meanings
scribble1
present singular third person scribbles · participle present scribbling · participle past scribbled · past scribbled
- To write badly; to work as an inferior author or journalist.
scribble2
present singular third person scribbles · participle present scribbling · participle past scribbled · past scribbled
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo write or draw carelessly and in a hurry.
verbTo doodle.
More synonyms by meaning
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
scribble · verb, noun
- Latinscrībillō
- Middle Englishscriblen
- Englishscribble
From Middle English scriblen, from (1) scrīben + -le and/or (2) Latin scrībillō (found in conscrībillō), from cōnscrībō, from scrībō (“write”), equivalent to scribe + -le (frequentative suffix).
More words from Middle English, Latin
Full word history & related roots →scribble · verb
- Dutchschribbelen“to scratch”
- Englishscribble
From Dutch schribbelen (“to scratch”), from Middle Dutch schrobben (“to scrub, scrape, scratch”), variant of schrapen, schrappen. Related to scrub.
More words from Dutch
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic خربشة
- خربشةhastily done writing
Bulgarian дра́скам, дра́щя
- дра́скам (dráskam)to write or draw carelessly and in a hurry
- дра́щя (dráštja)to write or draw carelessly and in a hurry
- пиша небрежно (piša nebrežno)to write or draw carelessly and in a hurry
- драскам си (draskam si)to doodle
- дра́щя (dráštja)to write badly
- драсканица (draskanica)hastily done writing
Catalan fer gargots, gargotejar
- fer gargotsto write or draw carelessly and in a hurry
- gargotejarto write or draw carelessly and in a hurry
- fer gargotsto doodle
- gargotejarto doodle
- gargothastily done writing
- garramanxohastily done writing
Esperanto skribaĉi, skribaĉo
- skribaĉito write or draw carelessly and in a hurry
- skribaĉohastily done writing
Finnish kirjoitella, tuhertaa
- kirjoitellato write or draw carelessly and in a hurry
- tuhertaato write or draw carelessly and in a hurry
- töhertääto doodle
- tuhertaato doodle
- tuherrushastily done writing
- töherryshastily done writing
French gribouiller, griffonner
- gribouillerto write or draw carelessly and in a hurry
- griffonnerto write or draw carelessly and in a hurry
- gribouillerto doodle
- grabouillerto doodle
- gribouillerto write badly
- griffonnerto write badly
- scribouillerto write badly
- grabouillerto write badly
- pattes de mouchehastily done writing
- pieds de mouchehastily done writing
- gribouillishastily done writing
- gribouillagehastily done writing
- griffonnagehastily done writing
German schmieren, krakeln
- schmierento write or draw carelessly and in a hurry
- krakelnto write or draw carelessly and in a hurry
- kritzelnto write or draw carelessly and in a hurry
- Gekritzelhastily done writing
- Kritzeleihastily done writing
- Krakeleihastily done writing
- Gekrakelhastily done writing
- Geschmierhastily done writing
Hebrew קִשְׁקֵשׁ, שרבט
- קִשְׁקֵשׁ (qishqésh)to write or draw carelessly and in a hurry
- שרבט (shirbét)to write or draw carelessly and in a hurry
- שרבט (shirbét)to doodle
- שרבוט (shirbút)hastily done writing
Hungarian firkál, firkál
- firkálto write or draw carelessly and in a hurry
- firkálto doodle
Italian scarabocchiare, schiccherare
- scarabocchiareto write or draw carelessly and in a hurry
- schiccherareto write or draw carelessly and in a hurry
- scarabocchiareto doodle
- scarabocchiohastily done writing
Māori tuhituhi kōkau
- tuhituhi kōkauhastily done writing
Polish bazgrać, gryzmolić
- bazgraćto write or draw carelessly and in a hurry
- gryzmolićto write or draw carelessly and in a hurry
- pisaninahastily done writing
- bazgraninahastily done writing
- bazgrołyhastily done writing
Portuguese rabiscar, garranchar
- rabiscarto write or draw carelessly and in a hurry
- garrancharto write or draw carelessly and in a hurry
- rabiscarto doodle
- garranchohastily done writing
Russian цара́пать, шкря́бать
- цара́пать (carápatʹ)to write or draw carelessly and in a hurry
- шкря́бать (škrjábatʹ)to write or draw carelessly and in a hurry
- мара́ть бума́гу (marátʹ bumágu)to doodle
Spanish garabatear, borrajear
- garabatearto write or draw carelessly and in a hurry
- borrajearto write or draw carelessly and in a hurry
- borronearto write or draw carelessly and in a hurry
- garrapatearto write or draw carelessly and in a hurry
- escarabajearto write or draw carelessly and in a hurry
- garabatearto doodle
- garrapatearto doodle
- garrapatohastily done writing
- garabatohastily done writing
- garabateohastily done writing
Swedish krafsa
- krafsato write or draw carelessly and in a hurry
Tamil கிறுக்கு, கிறுக்கு
- கிறுக்கு (kiṟukku)to write or draw carelessly and in a hurry
- கிறுக்கு (kiṟukku)hastily done writing
Turkish karalamak
- karalamakto write or draw carelessly and in a hurry
Vietnamese viết nguệch ngoạc, viết cẩu thả
- viết nguệch ngoạcto write or draw carelessly and in a hurry
- viết cẩu thảto write or draw carelessly and in a hurry
Yiddish אָנפּאַטשקען
- אָנפּאַטשקען (onpatshken)to write or draw carelessly and in a hurry
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with scribble
Cite this entry
scribble. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/scribble
“scribble.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/scribble. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “scribble,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/scribble.
Source: scribble on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.