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
Their physical features can be shabby to the point of scandal: mad spacing, pagination mixups, microscopic type.
—Thomas Mallon, New Yorker, 30 June 2025
The accommodations could have formerly been described as shabby chic or Spartan, but Peregrine is intent on changing that impression--upgrading the aesthetic appeal and functionality of its 345 guest rooms.
—David Weiss, Forbes.com, 27 June 2025
Many of them had recently moved to the capital city of Honiara, a shabby port on Guadalcanal, in search of jobs.
—Pete McKenzie, Harpers Magazine, 18 June 2025
During one lunch hour, Walter Matthau appeared in a shabby overcoat.
—James Barron, New York Times, 14 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for shabby
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Thomas Mallon, New Yorker, 30 June 2025
The accommodations could have formerly been described as shabby chic or Spartan, but Peregrine is intent on changing that impression--upgrading the aesthetic appeal and functionality of its 345 guest rooms.
—David Weiss, Forbes.com, 27 June 2025
Many of them had recently moved to the capital city of Honiara, a shabby port on Guadalcanal, in search of jobs.
—Pete McKenzie, Harpers Magazine, 18 June 2025
During one lunch hour, Walter Matthau appeared in a shabby overcoat.
—James Barron, New York Times, 14 May 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 18 Jul. 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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