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Synonyms

scratchy

American  
[skrach-ee] / ˈskrætʃ i /

adjective

scratchier, scratchiest

  1. causing or liable to cause a slight grating noise.

    a scratchy record.

  2. consisting of or marked by scratches: scratches.

    a scratchy drawing.

  3. uneven; haphazard.

    He plays a scratchy game.

  4. causing itching or other minor irritation of the skin.

    a scratchy woolen sweater.

  5. causing or liable to cause a scratch or scratches: scratches.

    scratchy bushes.

  6. Chiefly British Slang. peevish; spiteful.

Other Word Forms

  • scratchily adverb
  • scratchiness noun

Etymology

Origin of scratchy

First recorded in 1700–10; scratch + -y 1

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.