Russian Translation(s) & Details for 'scraggy'

English Word: scraggy

Key Russian Translations:

• худой /ˈxudəj/ - [Informal, often used in everyday conversation]
• тощий /ˈtoʂʲij/ - [Formal, typically in descriptive or literary contexts]

Frequency: Medium (Common in spoken Russian but not as frequent as basic adjectives like "большой")

Difficulty: B1 (Intermediate, as it involves understanding adjective inflections; for "худой" it's B1, while "тощий" might be A2 for beginners)

Pronunciation (Russian):

худой: /ˈxudəj/

Note on худой: The initial 'х' is a voiceless velar fricative, similar to the 'ch' in Scottish "loch". Stress is on the first syllable, and it may vary slightly in rapid speech.

тощий: /ˈtoʂʲij/

Note on тощий: The 'щ' sound is a voiceless alveolo-palatal fricative, which can be challenging for English speakers; it's softer than 'sh' in "shoe".

Audio: []

Meanings and Usage:

Meaning: Thin and bony, often describing a person's or object's unkempt or emaciated appearance.

Translation(s) & Context:

• худой - Used in informal settings to describe someone who is skinny or undernourished, such as in casual conversations about health or appearance.
• тощий - Applied in more formal or neutral contexts, like medical descriptions or literature, to emphasize a gaunt, bony look.

Usage Examples:

• Он выглядит очень худой после болезни. (On vygljadit ochen' khudoy posle bolezni.)

  He looks very scraggy after his illness.

• Эта собака тощая и нуждается в хорошем питании. (Eta sobaka toshchaya i nuzhdaetsya v khoroshem pitaniyi.)

  This dog is scraggy and needs proper nutrition.

• В деревне многие люди были худыми из-за нехватки еды. (V derevne mnogie lyudi byli khudymi iz-za nekhvatki edy.)

  In the village, many people were scraggy due to a lack of food.

• Её лицо стало тощим от стресса и недосыпа. (Ey litso stalo toshchim ot stressa i nedosypa.)

  Her face became scraggy from stress and lack of sleep.

• Дерево в саду худое и ветвистое, как будто оно страдает от засухи. (Derevo v sadu khudoye i vetvistoye, kak budto ono stradayet ot zasukhi.)

  The tree in the garden is scraggy and branchy, as if it's suffering from drought.

Russian Forms/Inflections:

Both "худой" and "тощий" are Russian adjectives, which inflect based on gender, number, and case. Russian adjectives agree with the nouns they modify and follow a standard adjectival declension pattern. "Худой" is a short-form adjective in some contexts but primarily used in full form.

Note: These adjectives follow regular patterns, but "тощий" can sometimes be irregular in poetic or archaic usage. They do not change in comparative forms without additional suffixes (e.g., худее for comparative of худой).

Russian Synonyms/Antonyms:

• Synonyms:
  • хилый (khilyy) - Weaker connotation, often implying frailty.
  • изможденный (izmoshdennyy) - More intense, suggesting exhaustion.
• Antonyms:
  • полный (polnyy) - Meaning plump or full-figured.
  • крепкий (krepkiy) - Meaning strong or sturdy.

Related Phrases:

• Худой как щепка (Khudoy kak shchepka) - Literally "thin as a splinter"; Meaning: Extremely scraggy or emaciated, often used humorously.
• Тощий, как палка (Toshchiy, kak palka) - Literally "thin as a stick"; Meaning: Describing someone who is unhealthily skinny, in contexts of poverty or neglect.
• Сделать кого-то худым (Sdelat' kogo-to khudym) - Meaning: To make someone scraggy, often in the context of dieting or hardship.

Usage Notes:

"Scraggy" translates most directly to "худой" in informal English-Russian exchanges, but "тощий" is preferred in formal or written contexts for its neutral tone. Be mindful of cultural nuances: in Russian, these words can imply negative health or poverty, so use them carefully in social settings. For grammar, always ensure the adjective agrees in gender, number, and case with the noun it modifies. When choosing between translations, opt for "худой" for everyday speech and "тощий" for descriptive narratives.

Common Errors:

• Error: Using "худой" interchangeably with "слабый" (slabiy, meaning weak), as English speakers might confuse physical thinness with weakness. Correct: "Худой" refers specifically to appearance, not strength. Example of error: "Он худой в спорте" (wrong context). Correct: "Он слабый в спорте" for weakness, or "Он худой" for thinness.

• Error: Failing to inflect the adjective properly, e.g., saying "худой дом" for a feminine noun when it should be "худой дом" is correct, but for "худое дерево" (neuter), learners often forget the form. Always check agreement to avoid grammatical errors.

Cultural Notes:

In Russian culture, words like "худой" can carry connotations of hardship, such as during historical famines or economic struggles, evoking empathy or concern. Conversely, in modern contexts, being "scraggy" might be linked to fashion ideals in urban areas, though it's generally not positive. This reflects broader cultural attitudes toward body image, where robustness is often valued over extreme thinness.

Related Concepts:

• стройный (stroynyy) - Meaning slender or elegant.
• похудеть (pokhudet') - Meaning to lose weight or become scraggy.
• изнуренный (iznurennyy) - Meaning exhausted or worn out.