Synonyms of scrubby

scrubby

adjective

ˈskrə-bē 

as in dilapidated

showing signs of advanced wear and tear and neglect

changed into an old flannel shirt and a scrubby pair of jeans to clean out the garage

Synonyms & Similar Words

• dilapidated
• neglected
• scruffy
• desolate
• shabby
• mangy
• tumbledown
• tatty
• seedy
• dumpy
• grungy
• tattered
• miserable
• ragged
• tacky
• abandoned
• tired
• ratty
• threadbare
• gone to seed
• sleazy
• down-at-the-heels
• timeworn
• broken
• ruined
• beat-up
• run-down
• bombed-out
• tatterdemalion
• dog-eared
• mean
• unkept
• moth-eaten
• dingy
• damaged
• forlorn
• decrepit
• wrecked
• ramshackle
• godforsaken
• decaying
• rickety
• bedraggled
• destroyed
• deteriorated
• broken-down
• deteriorating
• worn-out
• rackety
• injured
• hurt
• impaired
• harmed
• rattletrap

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• new
• fresh
• brand-new
• kept-up
• maintained
• reconstructed
• patched
• spiffy
• mended
• rebuilt
• smart
• cared-for
• spruce

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of scrubby

There were seven of us American bird hunters overlooking a scrubby flat in Argentina’s Santiago Del Estero Province. — Alex Robinson, Outdoor Life, 12 Aug. 2026

Other worthy state parks to check out include Seabranch Preserve State Park, where there are six miles of hiking and biking trails that take visitors through sand pine scrub, scrubby flatwoods, and a mangrove swamp, and Atlantic Ridge Preserve State Park, a great spot for birding. — Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 16 June 2026

The landscape is baked and scrubby. — Jessica Kiang, Variety, 22 May 2026

Its full 360-degree swivel head and extra-scrubby (yet extra-gentle) mopping pads were similarly made with bigger messes in mind. — Louise Parks, Martha Stewart, 29 Apr. 2026