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
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The other factor is June usually has a lot of dry dusty air that crosses the Atlantic from Africa.—
Doyle Rice,
USA Today,
6 June 2026
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Les Airelles Courchevel’s Hans Anderson details were crafted in the 1990s, avoiding the cold corridors and austere, dusty libraries of centuries-old country houses.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
4 June 2026
Adjective
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The president had complained about filthy water and a leaking foundation, according to previous USA TODAY reporting.—
Michelle Del Rey,
USA Today,
3 June 2026
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And some of the best evidence of the lovebugs’ comeback came last week at the Turkey Lake Service Plaza on Florida’s Turnpike, where filthy, splattered cars and trucks queued up before the plaza’s automatic windshield washer.—
Martin E. Comas,
The Orlando Sentinel,
27 May 2026
Adjective
-
Follow this step-by-step method to keep your smoker free from greasy buildup that can cause a potential fire hazard, affect the taste of your food, and attract unwanted pests.—
Maria Sabella,
The Spruce,
4 June 2026
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Yes, these methods will work for any greasy type of stain.—
Daley Quinn,
Southern Living,
4 June 2026
Adjective
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As the Rams took the field for their last week of OTAs on Monday, the newest member of the organization walked out with his helmet in his left hand, pointing at new teammates with his right, his trademark white and black sweatband around his forehead.—
Adam Grosbard,
Oc Register,
9 June 2026
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Perry wore a floor-length white gown as Trudeau kept his look simple in a white dress shirt and black blazer over matching slacks.—
KiMi Robinson,
USA Today,
9 June 2026
Adjective
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There are very few hints in art of dogs being dirty, vicious or rabid.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 June 2026
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Merchants in fine suits rode in carriages or on sedan chairs while enslaved people lugging carts and crates wore dirty, threadbare clothing and could be publicly whipped or burned to death for misbehavior.—
Livia Gershon,
JSTOR Daily,
9 June 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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Ian Fleming, who set some of From Russia with Love's most memorable scenes in this area, delighted in its 'sleazy romance'.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
2 June 2026
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As polished-glam and old-Hollywood as the references were, there were moments that also felt sleazy and fun in the way that Hollywood in 2007 did, when getting photographed pouring out of a car on the way into the club was a rite of passage and full of its own twisted promise.—
Julissa James,
Los Angeles Times,
15 May 2026
Adjective
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The senior first baseman’s own stats this spring aren’t too shabby, either.—
Jeff Vorva,
Chicago Tribune,
4 June 2026
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These are the shabby, vertiginous streets that Nobel Laureate author Orhan Pamuk eulogized in The Museum of Innocence, set in the 1970s, and until very recently the district had scarcely changed at all.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
2 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Scuzzy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scuzzy. Accessed 11 Jun. 2026.
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