as in lame
arousing or deserving of one's loathing and disgust
that's a scabby trick to play on someone trying to help
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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
View this post on Instagram Currently wrapped in a somewhat scabby old blanket, with a face mask on, clutching a lukewarm coffee while attempting and failing to get some decent writing done ? Send help.
—
Lucy Wood,
Marie Claire,
6 Mar. 2019
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
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
View this post on Instagram Currently wrapped in a somewhat scabby old blanket, with a face mask on, clutching a lukewarm coffee while attempting and failing to get some decent writing done ? Send help.
—
Lucy Wood,
Marie Claire,
6 Mar. 2019
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
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Stronger and more flavorful than in your original lame iteration?
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On paper, some of the six, all of whom are far-right conservatives, have enviable educational backgrounds, but the record has proven that each one is openly political and willing to rubber-stamp nearly all of DeSantis’ lame and unconstitutional policies.
Adjective
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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.
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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.
Adjective
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Most notably, though, is its easy-to-clean material, which one flight attendant appreciates when up against dirty baggage claims and surprise spills.
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Crafted with Grey Goose vodka and Carpano Dry Vermouth, the cocktail is prepared to each guest’s preference—whether dry, dirty, extra dirty, shaken or stirred—from the restaurant’s signature martini cart.
Adjective
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Microchips are relatively cheap and are required for every pet in Los Angeles County over 4 months old.
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Prove Your Claims With Evidence In a market flooded with AI capabilities, claims are cheap, and every launch sounds the same.
Adjective
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Including some rather nasty, big corpo bullies who enlist specialist teams to hunt down clues, and other players, too.
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Betty Kovacs, the eldest daughter of comedian Ernie Kovacs who with her sister Kippie and stepmother, actress-singer Edie Adams, was at the center of a nasty custody battle that kept Hollywood riveted in 1962, has died.
Adjective
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Sixteen children from the same family who were rescued from a dilapidated home in rural Ohio were living in wretched conditions with human waste all around, confined to just one room over much of the past four years, authorities said.
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The Giants, who went on to lose yesterday, are now 31-46, and the vibes are wretched.
Adjective
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Noah Kahan is speaking out about a disgusting habit picked up by some music fans.
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French broadcaster French Pierron was under fire for calling childbirth 'a disgusting moment.
Adjective
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The quartet eventually broke America with later albums, but Arctic Monkeys songs were faster, funnier, and meaner in 2006.
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Chen noted that the FDA approval was based on a single clinical trial with a mean participant age of 47, and nearly 74% of participants were women.
Cite this Entry
“Scabby.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scabby. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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