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

In that time seven states seceded from the Union, while lame-duck Pres.

— Tracy Grant, Encyclopedia Britannica, 10 Aug. 2026
The jokes are still wildly scattershot and frequently, knowingly lame; the production is still cheap and cheerfully scrappy; the whole ragged enterprise is still reliant on the evident affection and chemistry between its players to hold it together.

— Guy Lodge, Variety, 5 Aug. 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

Culturelle probiotics tend to be cheaper than Align products and are ideal for those with frequent diarrhea.

— BestReviews, Chicago Tribune, 14 Aug. 2026
Birmingham26, the organisers, say that half of their 250,000 tickets — across morning and evening sessions — are £30 or cheaper.

— Liam Tharme, New York Times, 13 Aug. 2026

Definition of cheap

Adjective

Her boyfriend is nasty Sebastiano’s older soldier son Michelangelo (Lorenzo Richelmy), a true chip off the old block.

— Jay Weissberg, Variety, 12 Aug. 2026
Beyond those obvious impediments, Elkins was coming off a nasty stoppage loss in his previous fight against Julian Erosa at UFC 314 in April 2025.

— Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of nasty

Adjective

Hashimi’s tale of unflagging effort amid wretched inequality astounds.

— Monitor reviewers, Christian Science Monitor, 23 July 2026
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.

— CBS News, CBS News, 1 July 2026

Definition of wretched

Adjective

In a series distinguished by copious disgusting battle scenes, Ormund co-stars in one of its very grossest—a gross-on-gross-on-gross flambé—and almost gets in one last barf.

— Sarah Larson, New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2026
His central characters can be nasty, disgusting, violent, hysterically cruel, and passionately consumed.

— CT Jones, Rolling Stone, 8 Aug. 2026

Definition of disgusting

Adjective

Expanding the Emmys’ parameters would not only increase the mean quality of nominated work but also bring attention to great stuff flying under the radar.

— David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 12 Aug. 2026
Generally, studies on heat extremes work with some combination of daily minimum, maximum, and mean temperatures.

— Scott K. Johnson, ArsTechnica, 11 Aug. 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 16 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of scabby

adjective

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