1
as in scratched
to damage by rubbing against a sharp or rough surface
scuffed up her shoes by rubbing her feet under the rung of the chair
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in shuffled
to move heavily or clumsily
the miners scuffed past in heavy boots
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of scuffed
Literary Hub, 9 June 2026
This trick works great on scuffed baseboards, too.
—Melissa Locker, Southern Living, 1 June 2026
Dark, dim, and a little grungy, with its scuffed checkerboard floors, worn old couches, peeling walls, and chalkboard menus, La Factoria feels like a clandestine underground speakeasy.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 May 2026
Mac Allister got there first, but his scuffed clearance only fell to Mainoo, who calmly passed the ball into the net.
—Michael Cox, New York Times, 4 May 2026
Tafari managed to put a foot on the rebound, but the scuffed clearance fell in front of Jesús Gallardo, who toed it toward goal.
—Josh Gross, Daily News, 30 Apr. 2026
Don’t Pay Full Price for Defective Items Found a lamp with a tiny chip or artwork with a scuffed frame?
—Elizabeth Fogarty, Better Homes & Gardens, 29 Apr. 2026
Lehkonen and O'Connor turned on the jets during a third period Kings PP as Los Angeles' Adrian Kempe fanned on a one-timer at the blue line, sending the puck skipping in front of him like a scuffed golf drive.
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 24 Apr. 2026
Everything about the camp, with its beige corridors and scuffed canteen, is familiar and nondescript, said Alissa Wilkinson in The New York Times, but writer-director Charlie Polinger knows how to make the everyday ominous.
—The Week Uk, TheWeek, 23 Apr. 2026
Melissa Kravitz Hoeffner, Martha Stewart, 5 June 2026
Then in the 93rd minute, Taylor Suarez found herself in a good spot, but her shot was scuffed as two defenders crowded her on the goal line, and Sheridan would eventually fall on the ball.
—Damian Calhoun, Daily News, 1 June 2026
Between damp docks, muddy trails, and the occasional drizzle, they were quickly soaked and scuffed.
—Rosie Marder, Travel + Leisure, 27 Apr. 2026
The shoes are scuffed up and spray-painted, presumably with a can of Krylon from a home improvement retailer.
—The Oklahoman, USA Today, 15 Apr. 2026
Here, both are completely dismantled and scuffed to the point of being barely recognizable.
—Sadie Sartini Garner, Pitchfork, 7 Mar. 2026
College football is in chaos, its clothes disheveled, shirttail out, shoes expensive, Italian-made, but scuffed.
—Nick Canepa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Dec. 2025
Clean the Midsoles of Sneakers If the rubber midsoles of your sneakers get dirty or scuffed, toothpaste can help.
—Jolie Kerr, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 Dec. 2025
Baseboards also tend to get scuffed a lot in an active household.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 20 Nov. 2025
Adjective
By her side sits her companion, Penelope Jardine, dressed comparatively informally in a loose-fitting shirt, trousers and a pair of scuffed espadrilles.
—Literary Hub, 9 June 2026
This trick works great on scuffed baseboards, too.
—Melissa Locker, Southern Living, 1 June 2026
Dark, dim, and a little grungy, with its scuffed checkerboard floors, worn old couches, peeling walls, and chalkboard menus, La Factoria feels like a clandestine underground speakeasy.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 May 2026
Mac Allister got there first, but his scuffed clearance only fell to Mainoo, who calmly passed the ball into the net.
—Michael Cox, New York Times, 4 May 2026
Tafari managed to put a foot on the rebound, but the scuffed clearance fell in front of Jesús Gallardo, who toed it toward goal.
—Josh Gross, Daily News, 30 Apr. 2026
Don’t Pay Full Price for Defective Items Found a lamp with a tiny chip or artwork with a scuffed frame?
—Elizabeth Fogarty, Better Homes & Gardens, 29 Apr. 2026
Lehkonen and O'Connor turned on the jets during a third period Kings PP as Los Angeles' Adrian Kempe fanned on a one-timer at the blue line, sending the puck skipping in front of him like a scuffed golf drive.
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 24 Apr. 2026
Everything about the camp, with its beige corridors and scuffed canteen, is familiar and nondescript, said Alissa Wilkinson in The New York Times, but writer-director Charlie Polinger knows how to make the everyday ominous.
—The Week Uk, TheWeek, 23 Apr. 2026
Verb
And just like that, from scuffed to spotless.
—Melissa Kravitz Hoeffner, Martha Stewart, 5 June 2026
Then in the 93rd minute, Taylor Suarez found herself in a good spot, but her shot was scuffed as two defenders crowded her on the goal line, and Sheridan would eventually fall on the ball.
—Damian Calhoun, Daily News, 1 June 2026
Between damp docks, muddy trails, and the occasional drizzle, they were quickly soaked and scuffed.
—Rosie Marder, Travel + Leisure, 27 Apr. 2026
The shoes are scuffed up and spray-painted, presumably with a can of Krylon from a home improvement retailer.
—The Oklahoman, USA Today, 15 Apr. 2026
Here, both are completely dismantled and scuffed to the point of being barely recognizable.
—Sadie Sartini Garner, Pitchfork, 7 Mar. 2026
College football is in chaos, its clothes disheveled, shirttail out, shoes expensive, Italian-made, but scuffed.
—Nick Canepa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Dec. 2025
Clean the Midsoles of Sneakers If the rubber midsoles of your sneakers get dirty or scuffed, toothpaste can help.
—Jolie Kerr, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 Dec. 2025
Baseboards also tend to get scuffed a lot in an active household.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 20 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scuffed
Adjective
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These Black Diamond poles help take pressure off knees and joints during steep descents while providing extra stability on uneven terrain.—
Francesca Krempa,
Travel + Leisure,
11 June 2026
-
If pipeline generation is uneven, new reps end up working the same pool of opportunities.—
Jeff Winters,
Forbes.com,
11 June 2026
Verb
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Stainless steel and glazed ceramic bowls also tend to be easier to keep clean than scratched plastic bowls, which can trap bacteria in small grooves over time.—
USA TODAY,
USA Today,
10 June 2026
-
The Dodgers’ game against the Pirates on Wednesday was the fourth Smith had missed since being scratched from the lineup Saturday with a stiff neck.—
Maddie Lee,
Los Angeles Times,
10 June 2026
Verb
-
Patrons shuffled out of the nearby restaurant into cars.—
Shomik Mukherjee,
Mercury News,
6 Dec. 2025
-
Between work, family and everything else on your plate, taking care of yourself often gets shuffled to the bottom of the list.—
Taylor Haught,
Miami Herald,
4 Dec. 2025
Verb
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But the most interesting finding was several straight, parallel striations inside the skull, indicating the brain matter had been methodically scraped out with a sharp instrument shortly after death.—
Jennifer Ouellette,
ArsTechnica,
11 June 2026
-
Firecrawl has started working with partners including Wikipedia on this, with the idea that information sources providing real value to AI systems should be compensated for it, rather than scraped silently.—
Matthew Kayser,
USA Today,
8 June 2026
Verb
-
Two suspects are being sought in a horrific homicide in which police allege a mother of four was beaten with bricks and stomped to death during a robbery in North Philadelphia.—
Bill Hutchinson,
ABC News,
10 June 2026
-
The accordionist stomped sideways under the stage lights, sweat running down his temples, looking like Angus Young sans schoolboy shorts.—
Katie Thornton,
Harpers Magazine,
26 May 2026
Verb
-
Weiss, best known for her work as an opinion journalist and the launch of her site The Free Press, has stumbled in her new role in large part due to a lack of experience with TV operations.—
Brian Steinberg,
Variety,
9 June 2026
-
In the fall of 1995, hunters stumbled on Josette’s bones in the woods near rural Carmel, an hour north of the Bronx.—
Paul Solotaroff,
Rolling Stone,
9 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Scuffed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scuffed. Accessed 18 Jun. 2026.
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