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

The casual visit is scruffy hospitality par excellence. — Julie Beck, The Atlantic, 31 May 2026

At Dominguez High, the grounds are scruffy, wiring and plumbing are outdated, the gymnasium air conditioning hasn’t worked in years. — Steve Lopez, Los Angeles Times, 29 May 2026

The nuclear family at the heart of the story are first met living in the rustic splendor of the German countryside, in a scruffy, characterful house far bigger than this family of three — Philip, Lucy and their six- or seven-year-old son Johnny (Malo Blanchet) — obviously needs. — Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 15 May 2026

Reluctantly hired to fill in for her is Cameron (Lewis Pullman), a scruffy drifter newly blown into town with some unfinished family business to attend to. — Guy Lodge, Variety, 7 May 2026