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
Not too shabby for a bunch of first-timers with no time trying to do something for the first time.
—Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 15 Feb. 2025
Not too shabby for someone who was the 27th pick in the 2017 draft.
—Josh Robbins, The Athletic, 20 Jan. 2025
Not too shabby for a mattress that costs under $1,000 for a queen.
—Renee Cherry, SELF, 26 Oct. 2024
The victory also elevated his career earnings total to more than $7 million, not too shabby for a horse that sold at auction for $40,000 as a 2-year-old.
—Clark Spencer, Miami Herald, 26 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shabby
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Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 15 Feb. 2025
Not too shabby for someone who was the 27th pick in the 2017 draft.
—Josh Robbins, The Athletic, 20 Jan. 2025
Not too shabby for a mattress that costs under $1,000 for a queen.
—Renee Cherry, SELF, 26 Oct. 2024
The victory also elevated his career earnings total to more than $7 million, not too shabby for a horse that sold at auction for $40,000 as a 2-year-old.
—Clark Spencer, Miami Herald, 26 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shabby
Articles Related to shabby
Cite this Entry
“Shabby.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shabby. Accessed 1 Mar. 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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