shabby

adjective

shab·​by ˈsha-bē 

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

b

: ungenerous, unfair

… laments the shabby way in which this country often treated a poet …

—Paul Engle

c

: inferior in quality

shabby reasoning

shabbily

ˈsha-bə-lē 

adverb

shabbiness

ˈsha-bē-nəs 

noun

Synonyms of shabby

• dilapidated
• neglected

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

The developer that’s built luxury apartment complexes from Wilton and Cheshire to New Haven is proposing a 235-unit complex near New London’s waterfront that would create a complete makeover for what’s considered the shabbiest road in the city. — Don Stacom, Hartford Courant, 16 Sep. 2026

The first hull in Azimut’s Grande 44M range is, contrary to what the name suggests, actually not too shabby. — Julia Zaltzman, Robb Report, 15 Sep. 2026

Not too shabby for a series that premiered to mixed reviews and was canceled after just three seasons. — Tracy Brown, Los Angeles Times, 8 Sep. 2026

But returning home after some time with Ye-ji and Sang-woo, their place suddenly looks shabby and cheap. — Jessica Kiang, Variety, 6 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

obsolete English shab a low fellow

First Known Use

1669, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing shabby

• not (too) shabby
• shabby chic

Rhymes for shabby

• abbe
• cabbie
• cabby
• flabby
• gabby
• gaby
• scabby
• tabby

Kids 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

shabbily

ˈshab-ə-lē 

adverb

shabbiness

ˈshab-ē-nəs 

noun