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