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
The widower is a two-time National Lottery winner who lives an uncomplicated existence in an old mansion both grand and shabby.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 1 Feb. 2025
And while this residence’s direct access to Harmony ski run sweetens the deal, its panoramic vistas of the landscape’s natural beauty aren’t too shabby, either.
—Demetrius Simms, Robb Report, 8 Apr. 2025
Even Britain’s right-wing newspapers were outraged by Trump’s shabby treatment of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office, while Reform’s existing voters are already outliers in their sharply anti-immigration views.
—Helen Lewis, The Atlantic, 16 Mar. 2025
Right down the street the Four Seasons San Domenico is not too shabby either with divine view.
—Liza B. Zimmerman, Forbes, 27 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for shabby
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 1 Feb. 2025
And while this residence’s direct access to Harmony ski run sweetens the deal, its panoramic vistas of the landscape’s natural beauty aren’t too shabby, either.
—Demetrius Simms, Robb Report, 8 Apr. 2025
Even Britain’s right-wing newspapers were outraged by Trump’s shabby treatment of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office, while Reform’s existing voters are already outliers in their sharply anti-immigration views.
—Helen Lewis, The Atlantic, 16 Mar. 2025
Right down the street the Four Seasons San Domenico is not too shabby either with divine view.
—Liza B. Zimmerman, Forbes, 27 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for shabby
Cite this Entry
“Shabby.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shabby. Accessed 6 May. 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share