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 big number is a poignant song taken directly from the Eliot poem about that time in a cat’s life when paws begin to shake, the coat turns shabby and mice and rats no longer cower in fear.
—Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 15 May 2025
Driving a suburban family people mover, Luis obediently joins the shabby convoy of converted trucks heading away from the rave scene.
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 15 May 2025
But the issue of homelessness has also become a political liability for Democrats in California and elsewhere, with their Republican opponents drawing attention to striking images of the shabby encampments that sprang up under the party's governance.
—Shane Croucher, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 May 2025
As of 2025, Logan Paul’s net worth is estimated to be $150 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth—not too shabby for someone who started out by making videos on the internet.
—Jenzia Burgos, StyleCaster, 27 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shabby
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Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 15 May 2025
Driving a suburban family people mover, Luis obediently joins the shabby convoy of converted trucks heading away from the rave scene.
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 15 May 2025
But the issue of homelessness has also become a political liability for Democrats in California and elsewhere, with their Republican opponents drawing attention to striking images of the shabby encampments that sprang up under the party's governance.
—Shane Croucher, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 May 2025
As of 2025, Logan Paul’s net worth is estimated to be $150 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth—not too shabby for someone who started out by making videos on the internet.
—Jenzia Burgos, StyleCaster, 27 Mar. 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 28 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
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