as in dilapidated
showing signs of advanced wear and tear and neglect
dressed in scruffy old clothes to clean out the garage
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Recent Examples of scruffy
All but unrecognizable behind his scruffy beard, Poulter blends right in with these hard-knock folks, whose homemade tattoos and missing teeth are the real deal.
—
Peter Debruge, Variety, 25 Jan. 2026
Cooper Hoffman giving us a scruffy Zoomer update of ’80s Tom Hanks.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 24 Jan. 2026
The first Berenjak opened in London’s Soho district in 2018, in a space handsomely scruffy in the spirit of Samyani’s memories.
—Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 22 Jan. 2026
Instead of his signature wavy dark brunette locks and scruffy hot prof facial hair, Garfield rocked sandy blonde curls and a clean shaven look.
—Meg Walters, InStyle, 14 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for scruffy
Peter Debruge, Variety, 25 Jan. 2026
Cooper Hoffman giving us a scruffy Zoomer update of ’80s Tom Hanks.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 24 Jan. 2026
The first Berenjak opened in London’s Soho district in 2018, in a space handsomely scruffy in the spirit of Samyani’s memories.
—Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 22 Jan. 2026
Instead of his signature wavy dark brunette locks and scruffy hot prof facial hair, Garfield rocked sandy blonde curls and a clean shaven look.
—Meg Walters, InStyle, 14 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for scruffy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scruffy
Adjective
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This Milwaukee program takes dilapidated houses, acquired by the city through property tax foreclosure, and rehabs them for new home buyers.—
Steven Martinez,
jsonline.com,
1 Mar. 2026
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Such as dilapidated neighborhoods, toxic air, unkept public parks, failing infrastructure, unreliable public transportation and low wages.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
22 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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When first performed at L.A. Opera a decade ago, the lavish production, co-produced with English National Opera, helped recover a neglected opera.—
Classical Music Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 2026
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His refusal to weaponize suffering is one of his most important — and most neglected— lessons.—
Ed Gaskin,
Boston Herald,
15 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Scruffy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scruffy. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
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