CRUDDY Synonyms: 185 Similar and Opposite Words

cruddy

adjective

as in lame

arousing or deserving of one's loathing and disgust her cruddy treatment of her now-destitute parents, who had put her through medical school

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in filthy

not clean the refrigerator's cruddy shelves were a sign that the interior had never been cleaned

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of cruddy But hey, YouTube and a cruddy degradation stream can rock too. — Liza Lentini, SPIN, 17 July 2026 Late October quickly bled into the holidays, which bled into the cold and cruddy winter days when everyone is sick and using every ounce of energy just to get by. — Angela Andaloro, PEOPLE, 6 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for cruddy

Adjective

But instead of playing kingmaker, the lame-duck governor has refused to get behind a candidate to succeed him.

— Romy Ellenbogen Herald, Miami Herald, 6 July 2026
Stronger and more flavorful than in your original lame iteration?

— Padgett Powell, Harpers Magazine, 30 June 2026

Definition of lame

Adjective

Dozens of people had spent almost a year living outside, filthy and exhausted, and for what?

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 July 2026
From shabby apartments to art experiments to filthy needles—with echoes of Patti Smith and Rebecca Makkai—Adler conjures an era of sorrow borne by too many, too young.

— Hamilton Cain, Time, 7 July 2026

Definition of filthy

Adjective

The new buildings also provided cheaper housing options for Caracas workers who couldn’t afford to live in the city.

— Syra Ortiz-Blanes, Miami Herald, 24 July 2026
The Steamfitters were staging protests outside the Pfizer site, accusing the MetroLoft — which employs a mix of union and nonunion contractors — of building on the cheap and tolerating unsafe work conditions.

— Andrew Rice, Curbed, 23 July 2026

Definition of cheap

Adjective

Don’t make changes, and you’re accused of being a dusty, immovable relic that fights to maintain relevancy.

— Michael Schneider, Variety, 23 July 2026
The 21st-century Red Sox have won four World Series championships, and Galehouse is just a dusty chapter in Red Sox history.

— Steve Buckley, New York Times, 20 July 2026

Definition of dusty

Adjective

Completing the hat trick in pitiful style, Taking on the World was shot on a shoestring budget, helmed by the man behind Highlander III, and forced to rely on stock footage of real-life footballers.

— Jon O'Brien, Vulture, 26 June 2026
Given the national team’s pitiful demise at the Oval, with New Zealand completing victory on the fifth morning, Ben Stokes’ revival in absentia feels like the only consolation from a miserable week.

— Hector Vickers, New York Times, 21 June 2026

Definition of pitiful

Adjective

Cover the stained area with the paste, and rub it in with a sponge.

— Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 19 July 2026
Victorian mansions that survived great storms and eras of change take up whole blocks, colossal buildings with stained glass windows and towering turrets.

— Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 15 July 2026

Definition of stained

Adjective

Spain versus Argentina in the final 24 hours later was never going to be a purists’ classic, but what unfolded was undoubtedly the dirtiest final since 2010, when the Spanish also faced aggressive, uncompromising opponents — the Netherlands.

— Tim Spiers, New York Times, 20 July 2026
Some Roomba models from as far back as 2004 can still be found in some homes, working away on dirty floors.

— BestReviews, Mercury News, 20 July 2026

Definition of dirty

Adjective

The crabs also burrow in the muddy seafloor to hide from predators and better withstand winter temperatures.

— Kasha Patel, CNN Money, 18 July 2026
For thrill-seekers, adventure tours, such as the Hall Crawl or Guts and Glory, offer hands-on spelunking experiences through muddy passages and challenging climbs.

— Korrin Bishop, Southern Living, 18 July 2026

Definition of muddy

Browse Nearby Words

crud

cruddy

crude

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Cruddy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cruddy. Accessed 28 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of cruddy

adjective

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

kludge

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

Every Letter Is Silent, Sometimes: A-Z List of Examples

Popular in Wordplay

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 24

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

Popular

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Games & Quizzes