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
Back in New York, following Marty’s unimaginable defeat in London, Abel Ferrara appears as a scuzzy street-level gangster who entrusts Marty and his taxi-driving best friend Wally (Tyler Okonma) with his near feral dog.
—
Peter Debruge, Variety, 1 Dec. 2025
Knight convincingly takes us back to the grimy, scuzzy streets of 1880s East London for a showdown in and out of the boxing ring.
—Randy Myers, The Mercury News, 20 Feb. 2025
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 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
Peter Debruge, Variety, 1 Dec. 2025
Knight convincingly takes us back to the grimy, scuzzy streets of 1880s East London for a showdown in and out of the boxing ring.
—Randy Myers, The Mercury News, 20 Feb. 2025
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 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
-
Robert Pattinson jumped on the dusty-pink trend, strapping on a Jaeger-LeCoultre Duomètre Chronograph Moon with a copper-colored dial for the New York premiere of The Drama.—
Rachel Cormack,
Robb Report,
11 Apr. 2026
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Across the river in Mexico, men hawk rides in their dusty pick-ups, on horseback or by donkey, to take tourists three-quarters of a mile up a dirt road.—
Lauren Villagran,
USA Today,
11 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Kilitch Healthcare had serious quality lapses, in which the facility was filthy, employees were barefoot on the manufacturing floor and the company fraudulently passed products that failed sterility tests.—
C. Michael White,
The Conversation,
7 Apr. 2026
-
Common areas are often filthy, and increasingly populated by drug users.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
3 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Each bite had a creamy, savory center and a light crunch that never felt greasy.—
Evan Moore,
Charlotte Observer,
9 Apr. 2026
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Also, compost responsibly by not putting meat scraps, greasy, oily or sweet materials in your compost pile.—
Rick Sobey,
Boston Herald,
9 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Thick black smoke rose near the city's Azadi Square after one airstrike hit the grounds of the Sharif University of Technology.—
Lucia I Suarez Sang,
CBS News,
7 Apr. 2026
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Another target was Dario Amodei, a biophysicist and a font of frenetic energy who has a tendency to nervously twist his black hair, and responds to one-line e-mails with multi-paragraph essays.—
Ronan Farrow,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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The five fabulous transfers who make up coach Dusty May’s starting lineup got down and dirty with the rest of the Wolverines to dig out the national championship on Monday.—
Senior Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Apr. 2026
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And speaking of windows, Wiseman said that the windows of Orion are already dirty because the crew enjoyed looking out of them so much.—
Jacopo Prisco,
CNN Money,
7 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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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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Surrounded by a delightful cast of weirdos — with a scene-stealing, hilarious turn by Marc Maron as sleazy director Sam Sylvia — GLOW is a comedy match-up worth cheering for.—
Andrew Walsh,
Entertainment Weekly,
5 Apr. 2026
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What unfolds is a sleazy cat-and-mouse game of unrequited obsession set against a backdrop of vivid Wes Anderson–like interiors, leaving one to think there must be something in the water.—
Air Mail,
Air Mail,
28 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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That's not too shabby, considering that battery is feeding a 750-watt rear hub motor.—
Joe Salas
April 07,
New Atlas,
7 Apr. 2026
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If Serena van der Woodsen had to end up with someone other than Dan Humphrey, Ryan Reynolds isn't too shabby a choice.—
Rachel DeSantis,
Entertainment Weekly,
6 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Scuzzy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scuzzy. Accessed 14 Apr. 2026.
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