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
Synonyms
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
But frankly, gains of 25% or higher in just six months aren't shabby for some Michigan big brand names.
—Susan Tompor, Detroit Free Press, 28 June 2024
The town has since spearheaded a redevelopment of the shabby Silver Lane Plaza, and National Development has constructed two mega-warehouses near the western end of Silver Lane that are expected to create 1,000 jobs.
—Don Stacom, Hartford Courant, 7 May 2024
Plus, the 1920s-esque glass bottle and intricate brass cap won't look too shabby on your dresser, either.
—Anamaria Glavan, Allure, 14 June 2024
And the visual effects ain’t too shabby either, evoking menace and terror without feeling like a video game.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 9 Mar. 2024
See all Example Sentences for shabby 
Susan Tompor, Detroit Free Press, 28 June 2024
The town has since spearheaded a redevelopment of the shabby Silver Lane Plaza, and National Development has constructed two mega-warehouses near the western end of Silver Lane that are expected to create 1,000 jobs.
—Don Stacom, Hartford Courant, 7 May 2024
Plus, the 1920s-esque glass bottle and intricate brass cap won't look too shabby on your dresser, either.
—Anamaria Glavan, Allure, 14 June 2024
And the visual effects ain’t too shabby either, evoking menace and terror without feeling like a video game.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 9 Mar. 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.
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Cite this Entry
“Shabby.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shabby. Accessed 7 Jul. 2024.
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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