Synonyms of scurvy

scurvy

adjective

as in lame

arousing or deserving of one's loathing and disgust

after winning the lottery, she was beset by a whole scurvy swarm of con artists, ne'er-do-wells, and hangers-on

Synonyms & Similar Words

• lame
• pitiful
• wretched
• cheap
• nasty
• dirty
• mean
• disgusting
• hateful
• scabby
• deplorable
• sorry
• contemptible
• vile
• despicable
• sneaking
• pitiable
• lousy
• grubby
• ratty
• paltry
• loathsome
• abominable
• detestable
• revolting
• scummy
• odious
• cruddy
• disgraceful
• abhorrent
• discreditable
• shameful
• repulsive
• disreputable
• ignominious
• repugnant
• execrable
• dishonorable
• ignoble
• reptilian
• sordid
• craven
• shabby
• squalid
• unscrupulous
• condemnable
• dastardly
• revulsive
• unprincipled
• base
• cowardly
• reprehensible
• low
• unethical
• censurable
• blamable
• reproachable

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• admirable
• meritorious
• creditable
• laudable
• praiseworthy
• commendable
• noble
• honorable
• redoubtable
• scrupulous
• honest
• principled
• good
• reputable
• moral
• upright
• right
• righteous
• virtuous
• ethical
• high-minded
• right-minded

Synonym Chooser

How is the word scurvy different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of scurvy are contemptible, despicable, pitiable, and sorry. While all these words mean "arousing or deserving scorn," scurvy adds to despicable an implication of arousing disgust.

a scurvy crew of hangers-on

When might contemptible be a better fit than scurvy?

The synonyms contemptible and scurvy are sometimes interchangeable, but contemptible may imply any quality provoking scorn or a low standing in any scale of values.

a contemptible liar

When can despicable be used instead of scurvy?

The words despicable and scurvy can be used in similar contexts, but despicable may imply utter worthlessness and usually suggests arousing an attitude of moral indignation.

a despicable crime

When would pitiable be a good substitute for scurvy?

The words pitiable and scurvy are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, pitiable applies to what inspires mixed contempt and pity.

a pitiable attempt at tragedy

When could sorry be used to replace scurvy?

In some situations, the words sorry and scurvy are roughly equivalent. However, sorry may stress pitiable inadequacy or may suggest wretchedness or sordidness.

this rattletrap is a sorry excuse for a car

Examples Sentences

Recent Examples of scurvy

Along with violent seasickness, passengers suffered from fever, dysentery, boils, scurvy, mouth rot, rat bites, and lice so copious that they could be scraped off the body. —Dorothy Wickenden, The New Yorker, 30 Oct. 2023

The squadron immediately ran into trouble when typhus and then scurvy, a grotesque disease of Vitamin C deficiency, struck down the majority of the crew. —Mary Ann Gwinn, Los Angeles Times, 14 Apr. 2023

In the ancient world, would-be surgeons sometimes used primitive drills or saws on people, and even a child, with brain traumas, scurvy or intracranial infection, sometimes killing them. —Matt Hrodey, Discover Magazine, 23 Feb. 2023

The marooned adventurers endured unfathomable suffering, ranging from extreme cold to endless nights to hideous diseases such as scurvy, a vitamin-C deficiency that rots the flesh and teeth, swells the limbs, causes excruciating pain, and if left untreated usually results in death. —Joshua Hammer, The New York Review of Books, 19 Aug. 2021