sprawling
Noun · AdjectiveUS[spraw-ling]/ˈsprɔlɪŋ/2 syllables
Open English WordNet
Noun (1)
Adjective (1)
- spreading out in different directions or distributed irregularly“sprawling handwriting”“straggling branches”“straggly hair”Synonyms: stragglingramblingstragglyOpposite tidySimilar untidy
Word of the day · Oct 23About this word
ironynoun
What does it mean? Question 1 of today’s quiz
Webster's Dictionary (1913)
“sprawling” is listed under Sprawl.
Sprawl (spra̤l), intransitive verb [past tense & past participle Sprawled (spra̤ld); present participle & verbal noun Sprawling.]
Origin: OE. spraulen; cf. Sw. sprattla to sprawl, dial. Sw. spralla, Dan. spraelle, spraelde, D. spartelen, spertelen, to flounder, to struggle.
1. To spread and stretch the body or limbs carelessly in a horizontal position; to lie with the limbs stretched out ungracefully.
2. To spread irregularly, as vines, plants, or trees; to spread ungracefully, as chirography.
3. To move, when lying down, with awkward extension and motions of the limbs; to scramble in creeping.
The birds were not fledged; but upon sprawling and struggling to get clear of the flame, down they tumbled.— Sir Roger L'Estrange
Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), from GCIDE 0.54