Spanish Conversation · Level 18
90 words
Spanish word
garabato
Pronunciation
IPA/gaɾaˈβato/
Meaning
- masculine nounscribble
Example
El cuaderno está lleno de garabatos.
The notebook is full of scribbles.
More examples
Cuando hablo por teléfono, hago garabatos en la agenda.
When I talk on the phone, I scribble in the planner.
Core concept
Quick untidy pen stroke.
Common phrases
hacer garabatos
scribble
lleno de garabatos
full of scribbles
Similar words
garabateo: Making quick messy marks or doodles without concern for legibility.
dibujo: Deliberate drawing created to represent a subject with clear intention.
boceto: Rough preliminary drawing used to plan composition before finishing.
firma: Handwritten signature or mark used to identify a person and validate a document.
Definition in Spanish
Trazo rápido y desordenado que puede ser un dibujo sin intención artística o una firma ilegible, y que suele ser poco legible.
Word origin
Garabato comes from the verb garabatear plus the nominalizing suffix -o and names the quick untidy mark produced by that action.
Usage tips
- In phrases like 'firmar con un garabato', garabato usually implies an unreadable signature and can sound dismissive in formal or legal contexts.
Other meanings
- scrawlnoun
- doodlenoun
Opposites
- caligrafíahandwritingnoun
- legibilidadlegibilitynoun
Related words
- garabatearscribbleverb
- garabateoscribblingnoun
- garabateadoscribbledadjective