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 compromises—
Nat Hentoff
Nat Hentoff
b
: ungenerous, unfair
laments the shabby way in which this country often treated a poet—Paul Engle
Paul Engle
c
: inferior in quality
shabby reasoning
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
Grab this shabby chic bedspread in green, grey or pink.
—Mariana Best, Better Homes & Gardens, 31 May 2025
His longtime caddie and childhood friend, Joe Greiner, ended their partnership amid the strain of shabby results.
—Brendan Quinn, New York Times, 21 May 2025
His big number is a poignant song taken directly from the Eliot poem about that time in a cat’s life when paws begin to shake, the coat turns shabby and mice and rats no longer cower in fear.
—Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 15 May 2025
Driving a suburban family people mover, Luis obediently joins the shabby convoy of converted trucks heading away from the rave scene.
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 15 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for shabby
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Mariana Best, Better Homes & Gardens, 31 May 2025
His longtime caddie and childhood friend, Joe Greiner, ended their partnership amid the strain of shabby results.
—Brendan Quinn, New York Times, 21 May 2025
His big number is a poignant song taken directly from the Eliot poem about that time in a cat’s life when paws begin to shake, the coat turns shabby and mice and rats no longer cower in fear.
—Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 15 May 2025
Driving a suburban family people mover, Luis obediently joins the shabby convoy of converted trucks heading away from the rave scene.
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 15 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for shabby
Cite this Entry
“Shabby.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shabby. Accessed 3 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
shabby
adjective
shab·by
ˈshab-ē 
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
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