shabby

adjective

shab·​by ˈsha-bē How to pronounce shabby (audio)
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 compromisesNat Hentoff
b
: ungenerous, unfair
laments the shabby way in which this country often treated a poetPaul Engle
c
: inferior in quality
shabby reasoning
shabbily adverb
shabbiness noun

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 Remaining Time Monica’s purple living room walls and mix of shabby chic and countrycore style have been much talked about and copied over the years, but they were designed to reflect Monica’s life stage at the time and not necessarily any particular trend. Michelle Duncan, Architectural Digest, 20 Sep. 2024 And yet, the latter seems forlorn and shabby on the charger next to the matte darkness of this inky usurper. Victoria Song, The Verge, 19 Sep. 2024 The mishap at the 2002 VMAs did little to tarnish Jackson’s legacy, even with the comedic yet shabby ridicule by Jimmy Fallon and Jack Black later that evening. Ime Ekpo, Forbes, 11 Sep. 2024 The sets include stunningly orchestrated combinations of pickle green and tomato red; there are artfully shabby velvet couches and walls casually sponged with cobalt-blue paint. Stephanie Zacharek, TIME, 3 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for shabby 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'shabby.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

obsolete English shab a low fellow

First Known Use

1669, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of shabby was in 1669

Dictionary Entries Near shabby

Cite this Entry

“Shabby.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shabby. Accessed 1 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

shabby

adjective
shab·​by ˈshab-ē How to pronounce shabby (audio)
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
shabbily adverb
shabbiness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on shabby

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