Synonyms of scruffy

scruffy

adjective

ˈskrə-fē 

as in dilapidated

showing signs of advanced wear and tear and neglect

dressed in scruffy old clothes to clean out the garage

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of scruffy

There’s an image of New York City, calcified in film, memoir, and newsprint, of a city built on a foundation of scruffy subcultures, especially those communities grounded in the city’s hundreds of distinct diasporas. —Kat Chen, Condé Nast Traveler, 25 Apr. 2026

But the survivalist was quick to note that his mother often called him the scruffiest person in the room. —Khloe Quill, FOXNews.com, 21 Apr. 2026

In a mugshot released earlier this week by the Orange County Department of Corrections, Ramagem appears with red, puffy eyes, a scruffy beard and wearing a green sweatshirt. —Maria Clara Matos, Miami Herald, 20 Apr. 2026

But a lot of folks fondly remember original Freight & Salvage, a more intimate and scruffy joint that was a beloved Berkeley jam spot. —Randy McMullen, Mercury News, 16 Apr. 2026