1
as in aggressive
feeling or displaying eagerness to fight
she was a scrappy girl despite—or, perhaps, because of—her small size
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in controversial
given to arguing
a pair of scrappy movie critics who can never agree on anything
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of scrappy
For five days and nights, the tech world remained glued to X for blow-by-blow coverage from a cadre of scrappy reporters.
—
Martine Paris, Forbes.com, 13 July 2025
Mangiapane wasn’t put in an ideal position to rack up points, but was still an impactful forward because of his scrappy, high-energy playing style and high-end two-way game.
—Harman Dayal, New York Times, 11 July 2025
Outfielder Sal Frelick isn't an all-star yet, but the speedy, scrappy outfielder is slowly becoming the face of the 2025 team.
—Jr Radcliffe, jsonline.com, 11 July 2025
Drenched in hues of pink and purple, the eye-popping world hosts less polished characters revealing the animation’s more scrappy, independent provenance.
—Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 8 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for scrappy
Martine Paris, Forbes.com, 13 July 2025
Mangiapane wasn’t put in an ideal position to rack up points, but was still an impactful forward because of his scrappy, high-energy playing style and high-end two-way game.
—Harman Dayal, New York Times, 11 July 2025
Outfielder Sal Frelick isn't an all-star yet, but the speedy, scrappy outfielder is slowly becoming the face of the 2025 team.
—Jr Radcliffe, jsonline.com, 11 July 2025
Drenched in hues of pink and purple, the eye-popping world hosts less polished characters revealing the animation’s more scrappy, independent provenance.
—Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 8 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for scrappy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scrappy
Adjective
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The former Calle 13 member impresses her sensitivity to this piece, originally written by Orlando Brito and popularized in 1975 by the great Héctor Lavoe, giving it new life with her powerful, dramatic voice, accompanied by street guitars and harsh, aggressive chords that captivate the listener.—
Jessica Roiz,
Billboard,
15 Aug. 2025
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Poor oral hygiene allows plaque bacteria to produce acids that contribute to decay, while aggressive brushing can physically wear away the enamel surface.—
Thomas Westerholm,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Long was considered an unusual (and controversial—keep reading) choice for the position.—
Kelly Phillips Erb,
Forbes.com,
8 Aug. 2025
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The stars of the TV series have similarly received backlash for their involvement in the expansion of Rowling's franchise because of the author's controversial politics.—
Mekishana Pierre,
EW.com,
7 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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While some agree with early views of student protestors that Israel is carrying out a campaign of cruelty and ethnic cleansing in Gaza, others insist Hamas, the militant group in control of the region, which attacked Israel on Oct. 7, sparking the war, is solely responsible for the suffering.—
Anna Kaufman,
USA Today,
5 Aug. 2025
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Videos released by the militant groups Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad last week showed hostages Evyatar David and Rom Braslavski in a visibly fragile state – images that galvanized a forceful reaction both at home and abroad.—
Dana Karni,
CNN Money,
3 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Instead of a more contentious disagreement, which could have necessitated a final ruling from commissioner Roger Goodell, the two sides ultimately settled on an agreement to share the equity.—
Eben Novy-Williams,
Sportico.com,
7 Aug. 2025
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Elsewhere in the Bay Area, San Francisco Playhouse is wrapping up a one-person show that leads audiences to consider their feelings and beliefs about the profoundly contentious Israel-Gaza conflict, even though it’s mostly meant to be a personal story.—
Martha Ross,
Mercury News,
7 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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In recent weeks, both have also moved military forces to the border near Assab and are engaging in escalating exchanges of hostile rhetoric.—
Mulugeta Gebrehiwot Berhe,
Foreign Affairs,
5 Aug. 2025
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Meanwhile, Trump has moved closer to Pakistan, with which India has hostile relations and the U.S. has historically had a complex and sometimes tense relationship, especially as Pakistan has grown closer to and is primarily armed by China.—
Miranda Jeyaretnam,
Time,
4 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Here’s the case for Scorpio: Wednesday is suss, secretive, brooding, vengeful and stubborn.—
Lisa Stardust,
People.com,
6 Aug. 2025
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For Baxter and the stubborn Scot, this marked, at last, the reality of war’s end.—
Charles Pellegrino,
Rolling Stone,
6 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Julia swears that she can’t be held as a prisoner, but Lord Lovat (Tony Curran), also known as Simon Fraser, quickly puts this feisty woman in her place.—
Lincee Ray Published,
EW.com,
8 Aug. 2025
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Dwarf species can be feisty but are not dangerous to humans.—
Tiffany Acosta,
AZCentral.com,
4 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Scrappy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scrappy. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.
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