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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 The influencer, with 24 million plus followers on Instagram, also has a not too shabby career herself. — Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 21 July 2026 The Aragon, which later generations experienced mainly as a shabby, sticky home for loud rock music, was once the North Side’s hub for romance, where young men and women came in droves to dance to mellow music in an elegant atmosphere. — Chicago Tribune, 13 July 2026 Mending — and shabby clothes in general — were no longer popular. — The Washington Post, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 July 2026 Not too shabby for a man who was roundly ridiculed for his defection from LaLiga in 2007. — Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 10 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for shabby
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shabby
  1. dilapidated
  2. tattered
  3. neglected
  4. ragged
  5. faded
Adjective
  • The city earmarked $15 million to transform dilapidated buildings into hubs for new businesses.
    — Reg Chapman, CBS News, 25 Aug. 2026
  • But, as Keegan’s impact upon Newcastle — the club and the city — rose, the dilapidated ground changed, too.
    — Michael Walker, New York Times, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of dilapidated
Adjective
  • On a recent afternoon, the lanky, mustachioed Zucker, wearing a T-shirt, ballcap and small hoop earrings, bears little resemblance to his comic alter ego who sports a tattered suit with gag props stuffed in every pocket.
    — Deputy Entertainment, Los Angeles Times, 25 Aug. 2026
  • For weeks, migrants in the Spanish territory of Ceuta had gathered on a beach away from the city center, sleeping on cardboard sheets, under reed huts and guarding their few possessions in tattered plastic bags.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of tattered
Adjective
  • Investors and analysts are increasingly looking to other parts of the market, both to find neglected sources of value and to start assuming a defensive posture against a possible downturn.
    — Tobias Burns, CNBC, 16 July 2026
  • Changing their environment is more reliable and more neglected.
    — Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, Forbes.com, 19 June 2026
Definition of neglected
Adjective
  • Cutting back is done in mid-summer when foliage looks ragged and blooming slows to increase plant vigor, control height, and encourage a second flush of blooms.
    — Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Typically depicted with exaggerated features and ragged clothing – or no clothing at all – these children were often shown being chased by alligators or other wild animals.
    — The Conversation, The Conversation, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of ragged
Adjective
  • The team behind this research studied 14 candidates for faded or remnant radio galaxies found in a region of the sky over Earth, studied intensely by the XMM-Newton X-ray spacecraft, called the XMM–Newton Large-Scale Structure (XMM–LSS) field.
    — Robert Lea, Space.com, 21 Aug. 2026
  • How to Deadhead Coneflowers Deadheading coneflowers is as simple as removing the faded flower heads.
    — The Spruce, The Spruce, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of faded

Browse Nearby Words

shabbily
shabby
shack
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Cite this Entry

“Shabby.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shabby. Accessed 29 Aug. 2026.

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