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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of scrappy
The Tigers had a big size advantage on paper, but the scrappy Hurricanes played like the bigger team all night.
—
ABC News, 21 Mar. 2026
As much as people enjoy a good Cinderella story—and a scrappy Siena very nearly provided one Thursday afternoon against Duke—a final can never get chalky enough for advertisers’ tastes.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 20 Mar. 2026
Golden State was coming off a scrappy victory over hapless Washington, snapping a five-game losing streak.
—Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 19 Mar. 2026
Those early days were scrappy and communal.
—Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 19 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for scrappy
ABC News, 21 Mar. 2026
As much as people enjoy a good Cinderella story—and a scrappy Siena very nearly provided one Thursday afternoon against Duke—a final can never get chalky enough for advertisers’ tastes.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 20 Mar. 2026
Golden State was coming off a scrappy victory over hapless Washington, snapping a five-game losing streak.
—Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 19 Mar. 2026
Those early days were scrappy and communal.
—Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 19 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for scrappy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scrappy
Adjective
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Orbán's nationalist party has become a model for MAGA populists, particularly for its aggressive stance on immigration.—
Hannah Demissie,
ABC News,
7 Apr. 2026
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Florian Wirtz was over aggressive in his initial press and then lacked urgency to help balance out City’s right-side overload, while neither Curtis Jones or Ryan Gravenberch drifted across.—
Andy Jones,
New York Times,
7 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The question is not merely about one individual, but about the permeability of global networks — how figures with deeply rooted ties to foreign governments and controversial pasts can reemerge in influential cultural and political spaces.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
6 Apr. 2026
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How Polymarket is addressing controversial bets Founded in 2020, Polymarket is among a cadre of prediction markets, serving as a popular tool to crowdsource real-time data and public opinion.—
Sasha Rogelberg,
Fortune,
6 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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But the response to Alcock in many online corners has been as if the actress went on a militant feminist rant slamming all male fans and threw a massive pity party for herself.—
James Hibberd,
HollywoodReporter,
2 Apr. 2026
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But the regime shows no sign of unraveling, and the people who have replaced senior leaders are known as equally hard-line or arguably even more militant than their predecessors, according to Western officials and experts on Iran.—
Abigail Williams,
NBC news,
2 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
County commissioners passed a resolution in support of ICE during a contentious meeting.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
9 Apr. 2026
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Israel’s deadly offensive against Hezbollah has been a contentious point in the uneasy Iran war ceasefire.—
Jennifer Hansler,
CNN Money,
9 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Callers told police that after a brief and seemingly hostile interaction with the occupants of the vehicle, the individual left school property and was last seen walking onto Ryan Lane from Edwards Avenue.—
Mike Danahey,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Apr. 2026
-
From a technical standpoint, the stock appears to be stabilizing at support just as the macro backdrop becomes less hostile to large-cap technology.—
Tony Zhang,
CNBC,
8 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Colleges and universities nationwide continue to grapple with polemic issues associated with the fair treatment of individuals of differing backgrounds, political persuasions, and sexuality.—
Blake D. Morant,
Forbes.com,
28 Jan. 2026
-
This kind of depravity, licentiousness and polemical theatrics has no place on such a traditional and once wholesome presentation of the coming of a new year in our great nation and especially on the eve of the 250th anniversary of the greatest experiment in democracy and freedom in history.—
Letters to the Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
4 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Reluctance to commit to a binary political persuasion also fuels the feisty remarks and damage-control campaigns of Oklahoma’s Zach Bryan and the pressure on Tennessee crossover folk-pop star and rapper Jelly Roll to honor his Grammys promise to state his position on ICE.—
Craig Jenkins,
Vulture,
8 Apr. 2026
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Not even three minutes into his first-ever playoff game in 2025, the feisty up-and-comer picked up his first postseason foul.—
Fred Katz,
New York Times,
8 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Data readiness, security, integrations, workflow redesign, and building human skills remain stubborn bottlenecks for true AI implementation.—
Sheryl Estrada,
Fortune,
7 Apr. 2026
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Michigan made only two three-pointers all night but still muscled its way to a 69-63 victory over stingy, stubborn Connecticut.—
Senior Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Scrappy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scrappy. Accessed 12 Apr. 2026.
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