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
Luxury brands have sought to distance themselves from the increasingly shabby in-store experience and ubiquitous mark-downs at department stores.
—Phil Wahba, Fortune, 7 Nov. 2025
Arizona’s defense isn’t too shabby either.
—Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 3 Nov. 2025
That’s not too shabby for a group that had its fifth right guard working the bulk of the afternoon.
—Mike Kaye, Charlotte Observer, 2 Nov. 2025
For the design of Rory’s shabby-chic dorm suite, Crasco reflected on her own overnight stay on the New Haven, Connecticut, campus back in high school.
—Mara Reinstein, Architectural Digest, 30 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shabby
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Phil Wahba, Fortune, 7 Nov. 2025
Arizona’s defense isn’t too shabby either.
—Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 3 Nov. 2025
That’s not too shabby for a group that had its fifth right guard working the bulk of the afternoon.
—Mike Kaye, Charlotte Observer, 2 Nov. 2025
For the design of Rory’s shabby-chic dorm suite, Crasco reflected on her own overnight stay on the New Haven, Connecticut, campus back in high school.
—Mara Reinstein, Architectural Digest, 30 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 7 Nov. 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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