scrofulous
scro·ful·ous/ˈskɹɔfjələs/adjective
scrofulous is spelled S-C-R-O-F-U-L-O-U-S: 10 letters and 3 syllables (scro·ful·ous). It appears about once in every 42 million words in written English, the 199,120th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, scrofulous means “Of, related to, or suffering from scrofula (form of tuberculosis tending to cause enlarged lymph nodes and skin inflammation)” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in scrofulous?
| Letters | 10: S-C-R-O-F-U-L-O-U-S |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3: scro·ful·ous |
| In writing | about once in every 42 million words; the 199,120th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is scrofulous?
Scrofulous appears about once in every 42 million words in written English, the 199,120th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce scrofulous?
- UK /ˈskɹɒfjʊləs/
- US /ˈskɹɔfjələs/
Scrofulous has 3 syllables, split scro·ful·ous in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-scrofulous.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of scrofulous
- more scrofulous comparative
- most scrofulous superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does scrofulous mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
datedOf, related to, or suffering from scrofula (form of tuberculosis tending to cause enlarged lymph nodes and skin inflammation).
- 2
Having an unkempt, unhealthy appearance.
- 3
Morally degenerate; corrupt.
a scrofulous politician
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Scrofulous in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense of, related to, or suffering from scrofula:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | scrofuleux |
| Portuguese | escrofuloso |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does scrofulous come from?
Borrowed from New Latin scrōfulōsus. By surface analysis, scrofula + -ous.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).