shabbier; shabbiest
1
: clothed with worn or seedy garments
a shabby hobo
2
a
: threadbare and faded from wear
a shabby sofa
b
: ill-kept : dilapidated
a shabby neighborhood
3
a
: mean, despicable, contemptible
must feel shabby … because of his compromises—
Nat Hentoff
Nat Hentoff
b
: ungenerous, unfair
laments the shabby way in which this country often treated a poet—Paul Engle
Paul Engle
c
: inferior in quality
shabby reasoning
Examples of shabby in a Sentence
The furniture was old and shabby.
He wore a shabby coat.
Her first apartment was pretty shabby.
They complained about the shabby treatment they received at the hotel.
Backing out of the deal was a shabby thing to do.
Recent Examples on the Web
Even Britain’s right-wing newspapers were outraged by Trump’s shabby treatment of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office, while Reform’s existing voters are already outliers in their sharply anti-immigration views.
—Helen Lewis, The Atlantic, 16 Mar. 2025
Right down the street the Four Seasons San Domenico is not too shabby either with divine view.
—Liza B. Zimmerman, Forbes, 27 Dec. 2024
While there was plenty of crime to be found in the city’s most polished neighborhoods, Marlowe’s shabby Hollywood office was the home to honesty and integrity.
—Rafaela Bassili, Los Angeles Times, 10 Dec. 2024
Despite the French undertones, this vintage reproduction of, yes, a water fountain, works for a variety of garden aesthetics, including cottage, farmhouse, English, or shabby chic.
—Stephanie Osmanski, Better Homes & Gardens, 19 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shabby
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Helen Lewis, The Atlantic, 16 Mar. 2025
Right down the street the Four Seasons San Domenico is not too shabby either with divine view.
—Liza B. Zimmerman, Forbes, 27 Dec. 2024
While there was plenty of crime to be found in the city’s most polished neighborhoods, Marlowe’s shabby Hollywood office was the home to honesty and integrity.
—Rafaela Bassili, Los Angeles Times, 10 Dec. 2024
Despite the French undertones, this vintage reproduction of, yes, a water fountain, works for a variety of garden aesthetics, including cottage, farmhouse, English, or shabby chic.
—Stephanie Osmanski, Better Homes & Gardens, 19 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shabby
Cite this Entry
“Shabby.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shabby. Accessed 5 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
shabby
adjective
shab·by
ˈshab-ē 
shabbier; shabbiest
1
: dressed in worn clothes
2
a
: worn and faded from wear
a shabby sofa
b
: ill kept : dilapidated
shabby houses
3
: not fair or generous
shabby treatment
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