as in dusty
severely lacking in cleanliness
My friend thinks that scuzzy dive bar has "character," but the smell alone is enough to keep me far away from that place.
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Recent Examples of scuzzy
Gorgeously textured and frequently very funny—Griffin’s wisecracking younger brother, Oren, is a scene-stealer—the book’s particular portrait of late-20th-century, upper-middle-class adolescence takes a generously wide angle, reveling in all the heady, scuzzy, confusing bits of coming of age.
—
Vogue, 26 Dec. 2024
The premise of the first movie, which treated Arthur as a scuzzy sociopath out of a Scorsese fever dream, is that unlike the dark-side characters in comic-book movies, Arthur really was just a disturbed individual.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 4 Sep. 2024
That context may help explain why Big Tech products can sometimes feel frustrating, such as unhelpful Google search results or scuzzy Instagram accounts.
—Shira Ovide, Washington Post, 26 July 2024
The safety curtain that greets audiences filing in for the third Broadway revival of Glengarry Glen Ross depicts a set of steak knives, the infamous second prize in a contest for the highest sales figures among colleagues at a scuzzy Chicago real estate office.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
See All Example Sentences for scuzzy
Vogue, 26 Dec. 2024
The premise of the first movie, which treated Arthur as a scuzzy sociopath out of a Scorsese fever dream, is that unlike the dark-side characters in comic-book movies, Arthur really was just a disturbed individual.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 4 Sep. 2024
That context may help explain why Big Tech products can sometimes feel frustrating, such as unhelpful Google search results or scuzzy Instagram accounts.
—Shira Ovide, Washington Post, 26 July 2024
The safety curtain that greets audiences filing in for the third Broadway revival of Glengarry Glen Ross depicts a set of steak knives, the infamous second prize in a contest for the highest sales figures among colleagues at a scuzzy Chicago real estate office.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
See All Example Sentences for scuzzy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scuzzy
Adjective
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Just past the cattle-ranching town of Bridgeport in northern California, near the border of Nevada, this deserted mining community is frozen in time along its dusty desert road.—
Nicole Kliest,
Vogue,
18 Oct. 2025
-
The fan grates in the walk-in cooler were dusty, and the walk-in freezer evaporator lacked part covers.—
Camila Pedrosa,
Sacbee.com,
17 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Jackson Lamb has long, greasy hair and a pot belly over which hangs a filthy old trench coat.—
Barbara Ellis,
Denver Post,
20 Oct. 2025
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On the other end, Ja’Marr Chase is coming off an absolutely filthy touchdown grab last Sunday.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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This was followed by the fried ravioli, which hit a spot that only a sufficiently greasy small plate can.—
Helen Shaw,
New Yorker,
17 Oct. 2025
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While many specialty shampoos and conditioners leave my roots greasy, this was not the case after trying Dae’s version.—
Stacia Datskovska,
Footwear News,
15 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
According to the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), Eastern black rhinos are critically endangered.—
Nicholas Rice,
PEOPLE,
20 Oct. 2025
-
Then stylist Jared Eng looked past Paris, and to Madrid, to pull a black cut-out Carolina Herrera gown for Joey King.—
Anna Cafolla,
Vogue,
19 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Two days later and nearly 400 miles to the west, good Samaritans found two baby girls crying on the dirty floor of a park restroom in the working-class coastal California city of Oxnard.—
Amanda Lee Myers,
USA Today,
21 Oct. 2025
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Yellow or orange flames might indicate a problem with combustion or dirty burners.—
Lauren Bengtson,
Better Homes & Gardens,
21 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
The land, unfenced, abuts a bald blackened hillside that must be public land.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Aug. 2025
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In its time open, fueled by fans of its blackened mahi and buttery lobster rolls, owner Mike Smith has expanded his footprint, moving into a larger stall in the popular food hall — which has allowed for a menu expansion, as well.—
Amy Drew Thompson,
Orlando Sentinel,
6 Dec. 2022
Adjective
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Trammell soon occupied the White House on Homeland (2020), played sleazy blues bandleader Ben on This Is Us (2016–2017), and took the lead on Reckoning (2019–2020).—
Matt Cabral,
Entertainment Weekly,
4 Oct. 2025
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No Fury feels a little like entrapment: The Neptunes’ beats are alien, seductively bizarre; Pusha raps about the spoils of his life of crime with the sleazy charm of an incubus.—
Pitchfork,
Pitchfork,
30 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Fresh walls and old trims can be a pointless exercise, as shabby trims will attract attention for all the wrong reasons.—
Sophie Flaxman,
Better Homes & Gardens,
20 Oct. 2025
-
Natalia had gone from a shabby apartment building to the Moscow and London mansions of one of the richest men in the world.—
Julia Ioffe,
New Yorker,
19 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Scuzzy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scuzzy. Accessed 26 Oct. 2025.
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