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 client roster hasn’t been too shabby either.
—Kimberly Wilson, Essence, 3 Dec. 2025
Now, decades later, as the proliferation of shabby kaleidoscopic media threatens to tear our very perception of reality apart, The New Yorker is still above the fray.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 1 Dec. 2025
Once night falls, creepy disturbances echo through the shabby apartment, bringing to light the group's deepest fears, from aging to betrayal.
—Kelsie Gibson, PEOPLE, 27 Nov. 2025
That’s not too shabby given the four-year break between albums.
—Gail Mitchell, Billboard, 25 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shabby
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Kimberly Wilson, Essence, 3 Dec. 2025
Now, decades later, as the proliferation of shabby kaleidoscopic media threatens to tear our very perception of reality apart, The New Yorker is still above the fray.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 1 Dec. 2025
Once night falls, creepy disturbances echo through the shabby apartment, bringing to light the group's deepest fears, from aging to betrayal.
—Kelsie Gibson, PEOPLE, 27 Nov. 2025
That’s not too shabby given the four-year break between albums.
—Gail Mitchell, Billboard, 25 Nov. 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 5 Dec. 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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