shabby

adjective

ˈsha-bē How to pronounce shabby (audio)
Definition of shabbynext
1
as in dilapidated
showing signs of advanced wear and tear and neglect shabby wallpaper that was peeling from the walls

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in tattered
worn or torn into or as if into rags shabby, stained clothes that are barely better than rags

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of shabby If Serena van der Woodsen had to end up with someone other than Dan Humphrey, Ryan Reynolds isn't too shabby a choice. — Rachel Desantis, EW.com, 26 Feb. 2025 Like his late father’s homing pigeons who keep returning to their shabby rooftop coop — a holding-pattern image that echoes the ennui of Terry Malloy on a very different waterfront — he’s imprisoned by the limits of his knowledge, the petrified loop of his experience. — Guy Lodge, Variety, 26 Feb. 2025 But his perimeter finishing hasn’t been shabby, either. — Bennett Durando, The Denver Post, 12 Feb. 2025 However, many grasses begin to look shabby in mid- to late winter so the next mild day is a good time to cut them back. — Rita Pelczar, Better Homes & Gardens, 6 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for shabby
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shabby
  1. dilapidated
  2. tattered
  3. neglected
  4. ragged
  5. faded
Adjective
  • That sounds logical, but a healthy housing market needs some extra properties to account for old or dilapidated homes that are demolished or taken out of use – not to mention some vacancies so people can move around.
    — Andrea Riquier, USA TODAY, 14 Feb. 2025
  • The hotel is founded and managed by locals, who transformed a dilapidated bed-and-breakfast into a six-acre luxury hotel in 2001.
    — Maya Kachroo-Levine, Travel + Leisure, 10 Feb. 2025
Definition of dilapidated
Adjective
  • The other traditional party, the Liberal Party, has splintered between those who remain loyal to Zelaya and those who led the coup, including Mauricio Villeda, the presidential candidate who leads a tattered vestige of his party.
    — Dana Frank, Foreign Affairs, 22 Nov. 2013
  • What if standing up to Trump is the very thing that saves the Liberal Party, and Trudeau’s tattered legacy?
    — Talib Visram, TIME, 7 Feb. 2025
Definition of tattered
Adjective
  • This was to help end the puppy mill industry, where dogs are bred en masse, leading them to be born and raised in filthy and neglected conditions.
    — Andrew Sheeler, Sacramento Bee, 12 Feb. 2025
  • If coordinated correctly, Trump’s tariff threats offer an enormous opportunity for America’s neglected waterfront.
    — Craig Hooper, Forbes, 17 Jan. 2025
Definition of neglected
Adjective
  • Doncic had a ragged shooting night, making 6 of 17 field goal attempts and 1 for 7 from 3-point range.
    — Jim Alexander, Orange County Register, 26 Feb. 2025
  • Put all those elements together and Spurs are suddenly a very different prospect from the exhausted, ragged group that trudged from game to game not very long ago.
    — Jack Pitt-Brooke, The Athletic, 24 Feb. 2025
Definition of ragged
Adjective
  • Gray and faded whiskers may be changed to their natural color and even brown or black by using Buckingham dye – try it.
    — Contributed Content, Twin Cities, 7 Feb. 2025
  • Groom indoor foliage to remove old leaves, faded flowers and declining portions.
    — Tom MacCubbin, Orlando Sentinel, 1 Feb. 2025
Definition of faded

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Cite this Entry

“Shabby.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shabby. Accessed 25 Mar. 2025.

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