SCABBY Synonyms: 79 Similar and Opposite Words

scabby

adjective

ˈska-bē

Definition of scabby

as in lame

arousing or deserving of one's loathing and disgust that's a scabby trick to play on someone trying to help

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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 scabby One of the most common is apple scab, which is a fungal disease that causes dark, scabby spots to appear on the leaves and fruit. — Helena Madden, Martha Stewart, 31 May 2026 Wheat can be treated to remove scabby kernels. — Tom W. Allen, The Conversation, 12 Nov. 2025 Darken and thicken it for old and scabby goop. — Mark Hay, Popular Science, 9 Oct. 2025 There were the same cars on the blocks, the clotheslines, and the scabby back yards. — Jennifer Wilson, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2025 As buzzy, crowd-pleasing indie comedies got snatched up for millions, the festival's scabby mutant black sheep went untouched, until horror-specific streaming service Shudder stepped in. — Charles Bramesco, Esquire, 20 July 2017 People walk up and try to grab a sample with dirty, bleeding, scabby hands not realizing that other people will also be sampling that food. — Abigail Van Buren, Twin Cities, 31 Mar. 2017

Recent Examples of Synonyms for scabby

Adjective

Respondents questioned Dave Aranda’s roster construction, the program’s lack of identity and why everybody is pretending this isn’t a lame-duck season.

— Manny Navarro, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026
Post-election powers Keisha Lance Bottoms has a message for Republicans who might be tempted to limit her powers in a lame-duck special session if the Democrat wins the race for governor in November.

— Adam Beam, AJC.com, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of lame

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

This tension is often subtext enough, and it’s accentuated by cinematographer Adric Watson’s tight and dirty frames, which confine Maya and Arti through astute visual composition, as the reality of their cushy lives is gradually illuminated.

— Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 5 Sep. 2026
Traction pods along the sneaker’s outsole make the shoe grippy on wet ground and durable enough to handle dirty trails and some rocky terrain.

— Jasmine Gomez, Travel + Leisure, 5 Sep. 2026

Definition of dirty

Adjective

But that does not mean residents will suddenly see a cheaper water bill.

— Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 10 Sep. 2026
His latest book, Three Tenses, a well as his Pulitzer Prize finalist Same Bed Different Dreams, are complex without resorting to gimmicks or cheap obfuscation that implies depth.

— James Folta, Literary Hub, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of cheap

Adjective

Those tempers were not helped by the nasty collision between Guehi and Veiga just before the break, as the Englishman clattered into the midfielder in attempt to head the ball away.

— Thom Harris, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
His nasty spirit comes unstuck from the grave when Antonia, the brown-haired Millennial witch, works a wonky raise-the-dead spell directed at her late great aunt.

— Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of nasty

Adjective

The traditional fatal flaws of Burrow injuries and wretched defenses have real solutions with the defensive line depth and Joe Flacco in place to keep the team on track.

— Jeff Zrebiec, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
Those who care deeply about one aspect of something or another often take charge of their memory, not necessarily reflecting the wretched, real-time ambivalence of the original experience.

— The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of wretched

Browse Nearby Words

scab

scabby

scabrous

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Scabby.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scabby. Accessed 13 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of scabby

adjective

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

shofar

Popular in Grammar & Usage

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

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

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

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Popular in Wordplay

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Popular

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

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Games & Quizzes