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

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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

As Trump slides toward lame-duck status, cleavages within the group and between it and traditional progressives are becoming more salient.

— David A. Graham, The Atlantic, 18 Sep. 2026
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

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

Cans, water containers, mattresses and crosses - seeming evidence of the home's former Christian occupants — lay scattered across a dirty room.

— Diego Ibarra Sánchez, NPR, 19 Sep. 2026
The lingerers brought their dirty dishes to the bus tub, wiped their mouths one last time with a napkin, and waved to Cleo, their faces saying, Nice job!

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of dirty

Adjective

As the currency appreciates, imports — which play a significant role in the economy — become cheaper.

— Chloe Taylor, CNBC, 24 Sep. 2026
About seven months ago, the average 30-year mortgage rate briefly dipped below 6% for the first time in years, prompting hopes that cheaper borrowing would finally unfreeze the housing market.

— Samantha Delouya, CNN Money, 24 Sep. 2026

Definition of cheap

Adjective

Back then, researchers were focused on eradicating the New World screwworm, a nasty pest that lays its eggs in wounds on living creatures.

— Alex Harris, Miami Herald, 21 Sep. 2026
Paul and Matthews have been embroiled in a nasty social media feud that sparked after ABC pulled The Bachelorette season 22.

— Nicole Fell, HollywoodReporter, 21 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

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 27 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of scabby

adjective

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