1
as in aggressive
feeling or displaying eagerness to fight
she was a scrappy girl despite—or, perhaps, because of—her small size
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in controversial
given to arguing
a pair of scrappy movie critics who can never agree on anything
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of scrappy
For lean, scrappy teams, these tools are game-changers.
—
Aytekin Tank, Forbes, 16 Jan. 2025
Team Fluff’s lineup includes Winston, a scrappy competitor from Phoenix Animal Rescue in Pennsylvania, and Whoopie, representing Wags & Walks in Tennessee.
—Jenzia Burgos, StyleCaster, 9 Feb. 2025
Until scrappy New Yorker Sylvie Devereaux comes along, of course.
—Brynne Weaver, People.com, 8 Feb. 2025
The sixth was a scrappy goal that could have been disallowed (Ibrahim Sangare might have handled the ball on the floor, replays looked inconclusive), but the seventh showed the extent to which the visitors had lost their composure.
—Nick Miller, The Athletic, 3 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for scrappy
Aytekin Tank, Forbes, 16 Jan. 2025
Team Fluff’s lineup includes Winston, a scrappy competitor from Phoenix Animal Rescue in Pennsylvania, and Whoopie, representing Wags & Walks in Tennessee.
—Jenzia Burgos, StyleCaster, 9 Feb. 2025
Until scrappy New Yorker Sylvie Devereaux comes along, of course.
—Brynne Weaver, People.com, 8 Feb. 2025
The sixth was a scrappy goal that could have been disallowed (Ibrahim Sangare might have handled the ball on the floor, replays looked inconclusive), but the seventh showed the extent to which the visitors had lost their composure.
—Nick Miller, The Athletic, 3 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for scrappy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scrappy
Adjective
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Instead, her life was turned upside down last week after President Donald Trump’s administration began instituting mass layoffs as part of an aggressive effort to trim the federal workforce.—
Phillip M. Bailey,
USA TODAY,
17 Feb. 2025
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Beef, coffee and orange juice are among groceries with higher prices, but eggs are uniquely affected by the aggressive strain of avian flu, which has strained supply.—
Dakin Andone,
CNN,
16 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Starbucks’ iced energy drinks and its controversial olive oil coffees have already been removed from menus.—
Nathaniel Meyersohn,
CNN,
24 Feb. 2025
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The company behind the controversial Dakota Access Pipeline, Energy Transfer, first sued Greenpeace and other activists in federal court back in 2017.—
Jeff Brady,
NPR,
24 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Hamas, which has fought Israeli troops for more than a year in its Gaza stronghold since attacking communities in southern Israel on Oct 7, 2023, said sending tanks showed the threats faced by Israeli troops from militant fighters in the camps.—
Raneen Sawafta and James Mackenzie,
USA TODAY,
25 Feb. 2025
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The militant group hoped the event would revive its battered image.—
Emmett Lindner,
New York Times,
23 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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There were several contentious incidents in this rather odd and chaotic match that had appeared as good as over with around 20 minutes left, before several late twists.—
Patrick Boyland,
The Athletic,
23 Feb. 2025
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The intense lead-up to Crowley’s firing In the months that led up to Crowley’s removal, Bass and the city’s fire department had been engaged in a contentious back-and-forth about their immediate response to the Palisades fire.—
Dalia Faheid,
CNN,
21 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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In a notable thawing of tensions between Russia and the U.S., Trump even promised to visit Moscow, and said Putin would be welcome in Washington, D.C. The president has also become increasingly hostile toward Ukraine.—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
20 Feb. 2025
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China’s relentless nuclear buildup, its hostile espionage operations, its militant rhetoric, and, above all, its support for Russia suggest that Xi has already made his call and that a confrontation with the United States is inevitable.—
Sergey Radchenko,
Foreign Affairs,
18 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Still facing a stubborn staffing crunch, the New York City Department of Correction will require officers to work mandatory 12-hour tours in a number of city jails, a move immediately criticized by their union.—
Graham Rayman,
New York Daily News,
21 Feb. 2025
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Fiscal and monetary policy are walking a tightrope between weak real growth and stubborn inflation.—
William Pesek,
Forbes,
21 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Cherry aromas on the first nose of this Merlot, followed after a feisty aerating swirl by maple syrup and golden syrup.—
Tom Mullen,
Forbes,
23 Feb. 2025
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Is Cowan a future star or more likely to become a feisty supporting cast member in the middle six?—
Jonas Siegel,
The Athletic,
22 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Scrappy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scrappy. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.
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