What does "scabrous" mean?
Covered with scales or scabs; hence, very coarse or rough.
Scabrous
/ˈskeɪbɹəs/ adj
adj ·Moderate ·College level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Covered with scales or scabs; hence, very coarse or rough.
- Grammar: scabrous is listed as adj.
- Nearest alternatives: asperous, bristly, coarse, craggy.
- Useful contrasts: chaste, decent, even.
- Usage evidence: After the incident with the gasoline, Noel’s burnt arm remained scabrous and was susceptible to infections.
How to use "scabrous"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "scabrous" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "scabrous" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "scabrous" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "scabrous" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "scabrous" is acting as adj in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "asperous" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "scabrous", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Adjective
- 1 Covered with scales or scabs; hence, very coarse or rough.
"After the incident with the gasoline, Noel’s burnt arm remained scabrous and was susceptible to infections."
- 2 Disgusting, repellent. figuratively
"The novel was a flagrantly scabrous bodice-ripper, and Rachael was ashamed to read it in public."
- 3 Salacious, scandalous; concerning oneself with lurid or lascivious substance. figuratively
"Remember a few years ago there was that scabrous movie Snuff? When it played in New York there were enormous protests, huge publicity — and huge crowds and profits at the theater."
- 4 Of music, writing, etc.: lacking refinement; unmelodious, unmusical. figuratively
"[A]s his Verse is ſcabrous, and hobbling, and his Words not every where well choſen, the purity of Latin being more corrupted, than in the time of Juvenal, and conſequently of Horace, who writ when the Language was in the heighth of its perfection; ſo his diction is hard; his Figures are generally too bold and daring; and his Tropes, particularly his Metaphors, inſufferably ſtrain'd."
- 5 Difficult, thorny, troublesome, requiring tact. figuratively
"These were things which gave him [Louis XI of France] no concern; and he went on alone, without taking any advice, in the scabrous path of novelty, turning his back on antiquity, and laughing at it. When solemnly remonstrated with by its most venerable representatives, he smiled and shrugged his shoulders."
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 Covered with a crust of dirt or grime. US, figuratively
"She twisted her head away from him and stared at the scabrous papered wall beside the bed."
- 7 Having scabers.
Adjective
- 1 dealing with salacious or indecent material wordnet
- 2 rough to the touch; covered with scales or scurf wordnet
Example
"After the incident with the gasoline, Noel’s burnt arm remained scabrous and was susceptible to infections."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "scabrous"?
Common synonyms include: asperous, bristly, coarse, craggy, difficult, dirty.
How do you use "scabrous" in a sentence?
After the incident with the gasoline, Noel’s burnt arm remained scabrous and was susceptible to infections.
How do you pronounce "scabrous"?
Pronounced /ˈskeɪbɹəs/.
Etymology
From Latin scaber (“scabrous, rough; scabby, mangy, itchy”) (from scabō (“to scratch, scrape, abrade”), from Proto-Indo-European *skabʰ- (“to scratch”)) + English -ous; compare French scabreux, Late Latin scabrōsus.