as in dirty
arousing or deserving of one's loathing and disgust
the jury was disgusted by the scummy behavior of the defendant in the courtroom
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scummy
Adjective
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Tan explained that there are still things people can do to protect themselves from the harms of dirty air.—
Dr. Ishani D. Premaratne,
ABC News,
17 Feb. 2026 -
Synthetic fibers like polyester can leave tiny scratches on the surface, and dirty cloths can cause micro scratches.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
17 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Saying the house is like a character too sounds a bit lame.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Feb. 2026
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That huge war chest would be especially remarkable amassed by a lame-duck president.—
Susan Page,
USA Today,
16 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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These are cheap to produce and easy to swallow due to their smooth texture.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
13 Feb. 2026
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With a distinctive look and a €38,290 ($45,425) passenger van base price (German market) that undercuts even the cheapest VW ID.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
13 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Mercy came via a bye week, the pitiful Raiders and an inept Cowboys defense.—
Tom Krasovic,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
13 Jan. 2026
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Writer-director Craig Brewer resists the temptation to make Mike and Claire in any way pitiful or worthy of derision.—
Peter Tonguette,
The Washington Examiner,
9 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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The mother of three was first spotted with the hunky Larocca, in October 2024, about six months after the nasty breakup with Hall.—
Madeleine Marr,
Miami Herald,
11 Feb. 2026
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Talarico remarked that the nasty interloper would provide good color for my story, and then recalled the time that former Governor Rick Perry had encountered a coyote while running outside Austin—and shot it dead.—
Mark Leibovich,
The Atlantic,
11 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The Epstein files reveal plenty of powerful people to have tolerated or participated in disgusting and shameful behavior.—
Gilad Edelman,
The Atlantic,
7 Feb. 2026
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Hearing disgusting lies spread about my brother is absolutely gut-wrenching, and my family is deeply grateful so many people have stood up and helped tell his truth.—
Drake Bentley,
jsonline.com,
30 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Over the summer, Gallup measured the party’s approval rating at 34 percent, its lowest point since Gallup began tracking partisan approval ratings, in 1992; a Wall Street Journal poll had the Democrats at 33 percent approval; a CNN poll put their approval rating at a wretched 28 percent.—
Mark Leibovich,
The Atlantic,
11 Feb. 2026
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More significant, in addition to being wretched, the book is also periodically wise.—
Akhil Sharma,
New Yorker,
28 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Are human beings prone to doing hateful things?—
Tara Sonenshine,
Baltimore Sun,
9 Feb. 2026
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Logan Paul called out his brother Jake Paul for his hateful take on the Bad Bunny halftime show.—
Prince J. Grimes,
USA Today,
9 Feb. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Scummy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scummy. Accessed 20 Feb. 2026.
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