as in lame
arousing or deserving of one's loathing and disgust
after winning the lottery, she was beset by a whole scurvy swarm of con artists, ne'er-do-wells, and hangers-on
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Recent Examples of scurvy
Perhaps best known as a immune-system boost or antidote to scurvy, vitamin C has been found to rejuvenate aging skin by reactivating genes responsible for cell growth.
—
New Atlas, 6 July 2025
The latest research indicates that the men split into groups sometime after April 1848, with some parties surviving longer than others but all ultimately dying of starvation, scurvy, exposure, physical exhaustion and chronic illnesses, among other causes.
—Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 19 May 2025
William and his assistants were nonetheless able to build solid pillars of data, mass death broken down into discrete numerals to represent sexes, ages, locations, seasons, years, and causes of mortality, which included starvation, scurvy, dysentery, cholera, typhus, and relapsing fever.
—Fintan O'Toole, The New Yorker, 10 Mar. 2025
In the Age of Sail, mercury was used on ships to treat fever, scurvy, constipation, and more, often in the form of calomel, or mercurous chloride.
—Sallie Tisdale, Harper's Magazine, 2 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for scurvy
New Atlas, 6 July 2025
The latest research indicates that the men split into groups sometime after April 1848, with some parties surviving longer than others but all ultimately dying of starvation, scurvy, exposure, physical exhaustion and chronic illnesses, among other causes.
—Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 19 May 2025
William and his assistants were nonetheless able to build solid pillars of data, mass death broken down into discrete numerals to represent sexes, ages, locations, seasons, years, and causes of mortality, which included starvation, scurvy, dysentery, cholera, typhus, and relapsing fever.
—Fintan O'Toole, The New Yorker, 10 Mar. 2025
In the Age of Sail, mercury was used on ships to treat fever, scurvy, constipation, and more, often in the form of calomel, or mercurous chloride.
—Sallie Tisdale, Harper's Magazine, 2 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for scurvy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scurvy
Adjective
-
Saying the house is like a character too sounds a bit lame.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Feb. 2026
-
That huge war chest would be especially remarkable amassed by a lame-duck president.—
Susan Page,
USA Today,
16 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Gallup reached only 50,000 people, a pitiful fraction of The Literary Digest’s awe-inspiring mailbag.—
David Frum,
The Atlantic,
21 Feb. 2026
-
Mercy came via a bye week, the pitiful Raiders and an inept Cowboys defense.—
Tom Krasovic,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
13 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
There were still seasons, birds and bees, and days and weeks in all their wretched assuredness.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
19 Feb. 2026
-
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
Adjective
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What really matters is if the tech can be scaled, is energy-dense enough to complete, and can prove cheap at an industrial scale.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
21 Feb. 2026
-
Although this pencil is the cheapest of the bunch, the formula lasts and lasts.—
Alanna Martine Kilkeary,
Glamour,
20 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Failing to check abatement expiration dates creates nasty surprises when incentives end.—
Allison Palmer
Updated February 20,
Kansas City Star,
20 Feb. 2026
-
The club’s record £125million signing suffered a nasty leg break away to Spurs in December.—
Caoimhe O'Neill,
New York Times,
19 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The agency previously had broad authority to regulate this kind of pollution by shifting power generation from dirtier sources like coal to cleaner sources like wind and solar.—
Ella Nilsen,
CNN Money,
24 Feb. 2026
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Most reporters struggled to cadge a ride to the more distant fronts with the dirty soldiers who kept Franco’s forces at bay.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
24 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
To me, being mean to each other was not supposed to be part of it.—
Joey Nolfi,
Entertainment Weekly,
20 Feb. 2026
-
McDonald's was a mean one last year, only bringing its Grinch meal to Canada for the 2024 holidays.—
Chad Murphy,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
20 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Just last week the president tweeted a vile and disgusting image of President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, and refuses to apologize.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 Feb. 2026
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So the disgusting attempt to rewrite history – won’t help.—
Grace Gilson,
Sun Sentinel,
16 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Scurvy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scurvy. Accessed 27 Feb. 2026.
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