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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of scruffy
Cast your mind back to summer 2019, a pre-Covid era when we were all hooked on Euphoria season one and the high school exploits of protagonist Rue, played by a scruffy Zendaya, all basketball shorts and tangled hair.
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Olivia Allen, Vogue, 17 Mar. 2026
Its messiness is also in step with 2020s hyperpop—scruffy, topsy-turvy electronic music that seeks to harness, not counteract, modern overstimulation.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 11 Mar. 2026
Emiliano Martinez’s save from Lukas Nmecha’s header in the 74th minute kept them in the game, with Villa equalising in the only way probable — a scruffy goal from a set piece.
—Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 22 Feb. 2026
One day in January 1766, a scruffy visitor turns up at Prince of Wales’ Fort, a remote trading post of the Hudson’s Bay Company in what is now northern Manitoba.
—Malcolm Forbes, Washington Post, 22 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for scruffy
Olivia Allen, Vogue, 17 Mar. 2026
Its messiness is also in step with 2020s hyperpop—scruffy, topsy-turvy electronic music that seeks to harness, not counteract, modern overstimulation.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 11 Mar. 2026
Emiliano Martinez’s save from Lukas Nmecha’s header in the 74th minute kept them in the game, with Villa equalising in the only way probable — a scruffy goal from a set piece.
—Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 22 Feb. 2026
One day in January 1766, a scruffy visitor turns up at Prince of Wales’ Fort, a remote trading post of the Hudson’s Bay Company in what is now northern Manitoba.
—Malcolm Forbes, Washington Post, 22 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for scruffy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scruffy
Adjective
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Its dilapidated state and lack of funding — just $25,000 was budgeted for programming by the city last year — prevents the facility from offering a full slate of services for residents.—
Gayla Cawley,
Boston Herald,
14 Apr. 2026
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The decedent lived in a dilapidated house, but in a respectable neighborhood, and I was therefore deluged with credit card offers addressed to the late debtor, a long-time devoted heroin addict.—
George Liebmann,
Baltimore Sun,
11 Apr. 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 22 Apr. 2026.
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