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

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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

The next big issue for me was that Axl shimmied from side to side with an unusual snakelike move that struck me as effeminate and lame.

— Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 15 Sep. 2026
Trump, meanwhile, will be at best a lame-duck president within weeks of the summit—or worse, if the Democrats are able to take back the House or the Senate.

— Jonathan A. Czin, The Atlantic, 14 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

About 15 feet away, there was an oversized rolling laundry bin where players would walk around reporters to drop off their dirty clothes.

— Candace Buckner, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026
In them, again and again, peering over the shoulders of the dirty loft buildings and overscale Cadillac Eldorados, the twin towers of the World Trade Center appear.

— Baldwin Lee, Curbed, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of dirty

Adjective

JetKVM Smaller, cheaper and now wireless JetKVM Mini will come in two versions.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 18 Sep. 2026
Wolk expressed confidence that J & J can continue growing through future patent expirations, which allow cheaper competition to erode sales of blockbuster drugs.

— Alexa LoMonaco,Kevin Stankiewicz, CNBC, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of cheap

Adjective

And then on Sunday, next to Granada’s imposing Alhambra fortress, Kuss — providing there are no nasty surprises — will complete his third Grand Tour in a row.

— Chris Marshall-Bell, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
In his nasty hands, every canvas was an indictment, a history painting with its gloves off.

— Jerry Saltz, Vulture, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of nasty

Adjective

Not one Wrexham player emerged with credit from a truly wretched performance, apart perhaps from goalkeeper Anthony Patterson, who prevented the margin of defeat being even larger with excellent saves to deny Jarrod Bowen and Manor Solomon.

— Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 15 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

Adjective

Those movies are mean and funny, while this one is just mean.

— Katie Rife, IndieWire, 14 Sep. 2026
Sally and Gillian blend up some mean frozen margaritas — a Frances and Jet tradition — during the reception, which is held on the old house’s moonlit lawn.

— Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of mean

Browse Nearby Words

scab

scabby

scabrous

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“Scabby.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scabby. Accessed 20 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of scabby

adjective

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