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
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
His numbers against Castle View (295 yards on 21-of-26 passing) were not too shabby.
—Matt Schubert, Denver Post, 14 Oct. 2025
That’s not too shabby, although Singaporeans, holding the world’s most powerful passport, can visit a cool 192 countries without getting a visa ahead of time.
—AFAR Media, 13 Oct. 2025
His record against fellow ‘Big Six’ teams as a whole is not too shabby either.
—Art De Roché, New York Times, 9 Oct. 2025
Just then a figure stepped out of the shadows, or sidled, rather, a low, ruffianly type clad in a shabby, dark-green coat and leather gaiters.
—Literary Hub, 8 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shabby
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Matt Schubert, Denver Post, 14 Oct. 2025
That’s not too shabby, although Singaporeans, holding the world’s most powerful passport, can visit a cool 192 countries without getting a visa ahead of time.
—AFAR Media, 13 Oct. 2025
His record against fellow ‘Big Six’ teams as a whole is not too shabby either.
—Art De Roché, New York Times, 9 Oct. 2025
Just then a figure stepped out of the shadows, or sidled, rather, a low, ruffianly type clad in a shabby, dark-green coat and leather gaiters.
—Literary Hub, 8 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shabby
Cite this Entry
“Shabby.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shabby. Accessed 23 Oct. 2025.
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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