How to use scratchy in a sentence

13 example sentences · adjective

Scratchy means characterized by scratches. Example: “The FM station two hundred miles away was receivable, but the audio was too scratchy to positively identify.”

Examples of scratchy by meaning

adjectiveCharacterized by scratches.

An indulgent playmate, Grannie would lay aside the long scratchy-looking letter she was writing (heavily crossed ‘to save notepaper’) and enter into the delightful pastime of ‘a chicken from Mr Whiteley's’.1977, Agatha Christie, chapter 4, in An Autobiography, part I, London: Collins, →ISBN

adjectiveNoisy, lossy; marred by white noise or static as a result of poor or low signal, interference or unfavourable...

The FM station two hundred miles away was receivable, but the audio was too scratchy to positively identify.

adjectiveHaving popping and/or crackling sounds due to excessive wear, especially from scratch marks.

Mom was playing her scratchy Elvis 45s again.1991, Stephen King, Needful Things

adjectiveIrritable; tetchy.

'Now, now, don't get scratchy,' said Casali.1978, Attilio Veraldi, The Payoff, page 105

More sentences with scratchy

With a scratchy throat and a cough, it feels like I'm coming down with a cold.From the entry come down with
Nibs can be scratchy in soap, so this may not be best for delicate areas.2024, Raven Hanna, One Cacao Tree, page 130. From the entry nibby
Rudolph and Stella laugh hysterically as I sing along in a scratchy, whiny Chipmunk voice.2002, Craig Mracek, chapter I, in A Bohemian Odyssey. From the entry chipmunk voice
He bent his great, shaggy head over Harry and gave him what must have been a very scratchy, whiskery kiss.1997 June 26, J. K. Rowling [pseudonym; Joanne Rowling], chapter 1, in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (Harry Potter; 1), London…. From the entry whiskery
A hooty, scratchy soprano and a stiff baritone don't help.1988, Peter Hugh Reed, American record guide: Volume 51. From the entry hooty
The engraver covered any such portion of a plate with "a series of scratchy, scrabbly lines, laid anyway.1985, Cartographica - Volume 22, page 81. From the entry scrabbly
Past the mountains, Ellay now lay looking scratchy and scarred, a hatchmarked cicatrix on the dusty earth, livid in the threatening light.2011, Diane Duane, chapter 13, in Stealing the Elf-King's Roses: The Author's Cut. From the entry cicatrix
The sand that a moment ago felt almost soft as you rubbed it between your fingers now feels rough and scrabbly and scratchy against your belly.1995, Bernice B. Johnston, Real-world Customer Service, →ISBN, page 30. From the entry scrabbly
His voice rises and falls in a sly, scratchy singsong — no wonder he calls himself Weezy — that can sound like a cackly old man or a wisecracking kid.2008 June 10, Jon Pareles, “Rapper’s Road to Pop”, in New York Times. From the entry cackly

Meaning of scratchy

adjective Characterized by scratches.
adjective Irritating; itchy.
adjective Noisy, lossy; marred by white noise or static as a result of poor or low signal, interference or unfavourable atmospheric conditions.

Full definition of scratchy

Questions about scratchy in a sentence

How do you use scratchy in a sentence?: Scratchy is used as an adjective. For example: “The FM station two hundred miles away was receivable, but the audio was too scratchy to positively identify.”
What is a short sentence with scratchy?: “'Now, now, don't get scratchy,' said Casali.”
What does scratchy mean?: Scratchy means characterized by scratches.

Adapted from Wiktionary: scratchy (page history and authors) and the entries each sentence comes from. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws chose the sentences, left out offensive ones and quotations older than 1900, and marked the word in each. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated: 2026-09-02

Cite this page: “How to use scratchy in a sentence.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/sentences/scratchy. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.