scruffier; scruffiest
: unkempt, slovenly, shaggy
a scruffy neighborhood
a scruffy beard
scruffily adverb
scruffiness noun

Examples of scruffy in a Sentence

The neighborhood is full of dilapidated houses with scruffy backyards. dressed in scruffy old clothes to clean out the garage
Recent Examples on the Web Its scruffy cross-hatching, dazzling lighting and punkish energy indicate an official shift from realism to expressionism. Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 7 Mar. 2024 Tall, blond and scruffy, Mr. Anderson hails from a monster truck dynasty out of Kill Devil Hills, N.C. Paul McAdory, New York Times, 6 Feb. 2024 General looming book problems, such as centering itself so squarely around Frank's purview — thus stifling Charley and Mary's contributions — and its overall ending, still, however, make the musical feel a bit scruffy. Emlyn Travis, EW.com, 10 Oct. 2023 Guest to Impress Looking dashing with scruffier facial hair, Jamie Dornan appears on Late Night with Seth Meyers for an interview in N.Y.C. on Feb. 29. Escher Walcott, Peoplemag, 3 Mar. 2024 Roles in The Sun Is Also a Star and Bad Boys for Life followed, and more recently, a memorable guest spot as a scruffy race car driver opposite Natasha Lyonne in Poker Face. Clarissa Cruz, Peoplemag, 22 Feb. 2024 In October, 1984, Bob Geldof, the scruffy singer and songwriter of the Irish group the Boomtown Rats, saw a starkly vivid BBC-news piece about the famine in Ethiopia. Sarah Larson, The New Yorker, 22 Feb. 2024 His industrial-size kitchen in a scruffy strip mall serves as a kind of shrine to second chances, so the cramped quarters offered a perfect backdrop for Harris’ event. Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 4 Feb. 2024 Rockwell gets more screen time, striking up a scruffy screwball comedy dynamic with Howard’s character. Peter Debruge, Variety, 31 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'scruffy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

scruff, metathetic variant of scurf (also with senses "something worthless or contemptible, contemptible person") + -y entry 1

First Known Use

1871, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of scruffy was in 1871

Dictionary Entries Near scruffy

Cite this Entry

“Scruffy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scruffy. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

scruffy

adjective
scruffier; scruffiest
: dirty or shabby in appearance
a scruffy beard

More from Merriam-Webster on scruffy

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