as in dilapidated
showing signs of advanced wear and tear and neglect
a mangy old car that was covered in rust
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Recent Examples of mangy
Too mangy, too rangy, prowling in their bony elegance, leaping weightless from dangerously precarious mounds of sharp edges, peering yellow- eyed from shadows.
—
Danielle Parker, CBS News, 21 May 2026
To write, especially in a first draft, is to submit myself to the mangy, cackling glory of not knowing.
—Literary Hub, 17 Apr. 2026
Talking Heads played their first gig in June, 1975, opening for the Ramones at CBGB, a rock club on a mangy block in the East Village.
—Amanda Petrusich, New Yorker, 10 Nov. 2025
That also includes Leonard, a dapper old parrot who lives in the clinic, and Bitchy, a mangy, rangy alley cat who recently wandered into the office and took up residence.
—Duante Beddingfield, Freep.com, 30 July 2025
His Orlok is more feral and red-blooded than previous iterations, appearing swathed in ursine furs and accompanied by mangy curs.
—Celia Mattison, Vulture, 27 Dec. 2024
Davis was more or less rocking his signature look — a red Adidas tracksuit, hair in mangy dreads.
—Ed Masley, The Arizona Republic, 4 Oct. 2024
Danielle Parker, CBS News, 21 May 2026
To write, especially in a first draft, is to submit myself to the mangy, cackling glory of not knowing.
—Literary Hub, 17 Apr. 2026
Talking Heads played their first gig in June, 1975, opening for the Ramones at CBGB, a rock club on a mangy block in the East Village.
—Amanda Petrusich, New Yorker, 10 Nov. 2025
That also includes Leonard, a dapper old parrot who lives in the clinic, and Bitchy, a mangy, rangy alley cat who recently wandered into the office and took up residence.
—Duante Beddingfield, Freep.com, 30 July 2025
His Orlok is more feral and red-blooded than previous iterations, appearing swathed in ursine furs and accompanied by mangy curs.
—Celia Mattison, Vulture, 27 Dec. 2024
Davis was more or less rocking his signature look — a red Adidas tracksuit, hair in mangy dreads.
—Ed Masley, The Arizona Republic, 4 Oct. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mangy
Adjective
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Here cavernous sheet-metal market halls rub shoulders with dilapidated clapboard stores.—
Duncan Madden,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
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The Urban Institute detailed in 2024 how declining government funding for public spaces had left many dilapidated and underutilized, or privatized and no longer free.—
Tristan Bove,
Fortune,
26 May 2026
Adjective
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Underdog startups and neglected divisions tell similar stories.—
Steve Denning,
Forbes.com,
13 May 2026
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Cinematographer Guillermo Garza shoots neglected settings like fine art, embracing the grime.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
3 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
At Dominguez High, the grounds are scruffy, wiring and plumbing are outdated, the gymnasium air conditioning hasn’t worked in years.—
Steve Lopez,
Los Angeles Times,
29 May 2026
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The nuclear family at the heart of the story are first met living in the rustic splendor of the German countryside, in a scruffy, characterful house far bigger than this family of three — Philip, Lucy and their six- or seven-year-old son Johnny (Malo Blanchet) — obviously needs.—
Leslie Felperin,
HollywoodReporter,
15 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Mangy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mangy. Accessed 8 Jun. 2026.
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