1
as in aggressive
feeling or displaying eagerness to fight
she was a scrappy girl despite—or, perhaps, because of—her small size
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in controversial
given to arguing
a pair of scrappy movie critics who can never agree on anything
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of scrappy
The show followed legendary comedian Deborah Vance (Smart) and her complicated partnership with Einbinder’s scrappy, struggling writer, Ava Daniels, who helps propel her back into the spotlight.
—
Kirsten Acuna,
PEOPLE,
13 June 2026
Turner's story is another scrappy prove-yourself saga.
—
Russell Lewis,
NPR,
12 June 2026
There’s a form of it that’s scrappy.
—
Olivia Tauber,
Vanity Fair,
12 June 2026
In a new trailer for the fifth and final season, the scrappy Chicago kitchen crew pull themselves together in the immediate aftermath of head chef Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) hanging up his apron and leaving behind the food industry.
—
Cheyenne Roundtree,
Rolling Stone,
8 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for scrappy
Kirsten Acuna,
PEOPLE,
13 June 2026
Turner's story is another scrappy prove-yourself saga.
—
Russell Lewis,
NPR,
12 June 2026
There’s a form of it that’s scrappy.
—
Olivia Tauber,
Vanity Fair,
12 June 2026
In a new trailer for the fifth and final season, the scrappy Chicago kitchen crew pull themselves together in the immediate aftermath of head chef Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) hanging up his apron and leaving behind the food industry.
—
Cheyenne Roundtree,
Rolling Stone,
8 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for scrappy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scrappy
Adjective
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Grey-zone tactics refer to a range of aggressive tactics that vary from navy ship patrols to drone flights, but fall short of direct combat.
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That will be decided in the coming hours, as the Heat remains in aggressive pursuit of a trade for Antetokounmpo.
Adjective
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New signs are emerging that the controversial Alligator Alcatraz detention center in the Florida Everglades may soon shut down, despite conflicting messages from state officials in recent weeks.
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The trial was one of the most anticipated in recent years due to Pino’s prominence in South Florida and because the investigation was controversial from the start.
Adjective
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Fiber-optic, first-person view (FPV) drones have become a key weapon in the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah’s war against Israel in recent months – bypassing Israel’s sophisticated defense systems by duplicating an asymmetric warfare tactic that first emerged in the Russia-Ukraine war.
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Children of the 1960s may recall that even within the militant activist group, Students for Democratic Society (SDS), animus was frequently directed not at the establishment but at fellow antiwar advocates.
Adjective
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This is not so different from the Founders’ vision of democracy, in which a federal system with independent, coequal branches of government forces collisions of competing interests that can get contentious, even chaotic, before compromises are forged.
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But with the Turnberry Agreement finally finding its footing, a reopening of wounds and a reignition of a contentious trade battle has likely held little appeal for the EU.
Adjective
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The complaint alleges that school officials at Southern Hills Middle School failed to stop two years of antisemitic harassment against an eighth grader even after investigations concluded the student faced a hostile environment.
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Create an internal incident map and begin tagging hostile actions according to the DISARM taxonomy.
Adjective
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In her account, Richmond indeed emerges as its progenitor—through his theorizing, his behind-the-scenes parliamentary and polemical maneuvering, and his patronage of Thomas Paine.
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The slapstick titles—Crackned Horsez, To of Them, Ape Island, all 1972—further stymied any straightforwardly polemical takeaway.
Adjective
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Conversations get charged when the Scorpio moon contends with feisty Mars.
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The Padres deserve a ton of credit for breathing life into what now is a feisty rivalry with the Dodgers.
Adjective
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Dealing with stubborn dark spots?
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But when the adults decide to cancel Christmas and the magical star fades away, a stubborn little bird named Pikkuli sets off on a winter adventure with friends to find the Starlight Reindeer and bring back the light.
Cite this Entry
“Scrappy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scrappy. Accessed 30 Jun. 2026.
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