1
as in aggressive
feeling or displaying eagerness to fight
she was a scrappy girl despite—or, perhaps, because of—her small size
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in controversial
given to arguing
a pair of scrappy movie critics who can never agree on anything
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of scrappy
Justin Sullivan | Getty Images For going on three years now, a once-scrappy company based in Santa Clara, California, has been the center of the Wall Street universe.
—
Kevin Stankiewicz, CNBC, 24 Aug. 2025
Imagine a 1995 novel about a scrappy young lawyer whose clients are suing a health insurance company that refused to pay for a life-saving treatment, resulting in their son’s death.
—Chicago Tribune, 21 Aug. 2025
Visit Films is handling sales on the title, which punches well above the weight of its scrappy production with its brisk storytelling, compositional elegance and the crashing emotional wallop of its finale.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 21 Aug. 2025
Giants president Buster Posey will try to find a way to solve the team’s lineup problem against fastballs and surround their core with scrappy hitters who put the ball in play.
—Andrew Baggarly, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for scrappy
Kevin Stankiewicz, CNBC, 24 Aug. 2025
Imagine a 1995 novel about a scrappy young lawyer whose clients are suing a health insurance company that refused to pay for a life-saving treatment, resulting in their son’s death.
—Chicago Tribune, 21 Aug. 2025
Visit Films is handling sales on the title, which punches well above the weight of its scrappy production with its brisk storytelling, compositional elegance and the crashing emotional wallop of its finale.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 21 Aug. 2025
Giants president Buster Posey will try to find a way to solve the team’s lineup problem against fastballs and surround their core with scrappy hitters who put the ball in play.
—Andrew Baggarly, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for scrappy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scrappy
Adjective
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Mid-summer changes to United’s revolving credit facility indicated a switch in strategy, and there was a more aggressive approach in the market following a summit in Iceland between Sir Jim Ratcliffe, chief executive Omar Berrada and director of football Jason Wilcox.—
James McNicholas,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
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The occurrences grew more aggressive over time, with the Smurls' 75-pound German shepherd getting slammed into a wall and Jack getting attacked while praying.—
Jessica Sager,
PEOPLE,
7 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The plaintiffs argued the displacement was motivated by a desire to limit readers' access to books with viewpoints that are unpopular and controversial in the area.—
Taylor Seely,
AZCentral.com,
8 Sep. 2025
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McLaren made a controversial decision at the Italian Grand Prix, swapping Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri's positions at the end of the race.—
Nelson Espinal,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Israel launched its assault on the Gaza Strip in October 2023, after fighters from Hamas, the Palestinian militant group in control of the territory, attacked Israeli communities, killing 1,200 people and capturing more than 250 hostages.—
Stephanie van den Berg,
USA Today,
2 Sep. 2025
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The military that took over Burkina Faso in a 2022 coup has grown increasingly intolerant of dissent amid worsening Islamist militant violence in the West African country.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
2 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Real World alum and life coach Kelley Wolf plans to attend a treatment center amid her contentious divorce from her estranged husband, Party of Five actor Scott Wolf.—
Ryan Coleman September 2,
EW.com,
3 Sep. 2025
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Such a contentious course will never happen as there are many opposed to such a radical move.—
Vipin Bharathan,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Trump has been hostile to renewable energy, particularly offshore wind, and prioritizes fossil fuels for electricity.—
Sydney Lake,
Fortune,
5 Sep. 2025
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Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter took it as a hostile act and approached Prescott, meeting face-to-face with him.—
Nick Harris,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
5 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Of all the bad-hair-day culprits, matted hair can be the most stubborn and frustrating.—
Grace McCarty,
Glamour,
5 Sep. 2025
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Spills can be blotted (never rubbed) with a dry cloth since the fabric is non-absorptive, and for more stubborn stains, dry cleaning is recommended.—
Zoë Sessums,
Architectural Digest,
4 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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That discovery is due to the return of Tom, again nicely played by Allen Leach, who is in cahoots with Laura Carmichael’s feisty Edith to get to the truth, if only for the sake of this entire family empire.—
Pete Hammond,
Deadline,
3 Sep. 2025
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Sweet, feisty, kind, smart, sensitive and spiritual.—
Natalia Senanayake,
People.com,
21 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Scrappy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scrappy. Accessed 8 Sep. 2025.
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