1
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
2
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cruddy
Adjective
-
Smith said the legislation could pass in December, during the lame-duck session of Congress that will follow November’s midterm elections, but that the coming days are critical.—
Jeff John Roberts,
Fortune,
6 Mar. 2026 -
Maybe that’s a lame hook, but that, combined with the return of reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, gets them back in their spot.—
Law Murray,
New York Times,
2 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The filmmaker shows a strong handle over the film’s fanciful tone and fitfully filthy sense of humor, and he’s credited with composing the film’s score full of squawking brass instruments and skittish strings in addition to writing, directing and editing.—
Stephen Saito,
Variety,
16 Mar. 2026
-
But there’s a difference between a dirty deal and a filthy deal.—
NBC news,
NBC news,
15 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Meanwhile, compounding pharmacies that sell cheaper knockoffs of these products are disrupting the marketplace.—
CHRISTOPHER ROWLAND THE WASHINGTON POST,
Arkansas Online,
21 Mar. 2026
-
Mail-only ballot elections are a cheaper, though slightly uncommon, alternative for cities when no candidates are on the ballot, like in the case of the upcoming April 21 election in the City Beautiful, according to Miami-Dade County Supervisor of Elections Alina Garcia.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
21 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
If frozen molecules can survive within these dusty structures, they may later be released into the interstellar medium as the nebula disperses, contributing complex material to future generations of stars and planetary systems.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
15 Mar. 2026
-
The Sombrero Galaxy was imaged to magnificent effect by the Hubble Space Telescope — most recently to mark its 35th anniversary in space — which revealed its sweeping disk-like structure and pronounced dusty lanes shining beneath its glowing galactic core.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
14 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Granted, those three performances were pitiful.—
Mike Bianchi,
The Orlando Sentinel,
14 Mar. 2026
-
Gallup reached only 50,000 people, a pitiful fraction of The Literary Digest’s awe-inspiring mailbag.—
David Frum,
The Atlantic,
21 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Think soft yellow hues, floral motifs, and colorful stained glass.—
Rachel Cormack,
Robb Report,
17 Mar. 2026
-
Place a dab of olive oil on a soft cloth and gently rub the stained area.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
The Spruce,
4 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Article continues below Maul is a dirtier, grungier imagining of the Star Wars universe, leaning into the darker moments of shows like The Clone Wars and Rebels.—
Fran Ruiz,
Space.com,
17 Mar. 2026
-
Workshops offered by Best Cabo Adventures allow visitors to get their hands dirty and make their own clay works—while sampling tequila, of course.—
Latifah Al Hazza,
Condé Nast Traveler,
17 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Waterbirds eat crab, shrimp and crayfish found in the muddy waters, while batrays and leopard sharks glide effortlessly through grass beds off the coast.—
Chase Hunter,
Mercury News,
16 Mar. 2026
-
Between damp docks, muddy trails, and the occasional drizzle, they were quickly soaked and scuffed.—
Rosie Marder,
Travel + Leisure,
16 Mar. 2026
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.
Cite this Entry
“Cruddy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cruddy. Accessed 21 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
