Main Entry: shab·by

Pronunciation: \ˈsha-bē\

Function: adjective

Inflected Form(s): shab·bi·er; shab·bi·est

Etymology: obsolete English shab a low fellow

Date: 1669

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> b : ungenerous, unfair <laments the shabby way in which this country often treated a poet — Paul Engle> c : inferior in quality <shabby reasoning>

— shab·bi·ly \ˈsha-bə-lē\ adverb

— shab·bi·ness \ˈsha-bē-nəs\ noun