1
as in dilapidated
showing signs of advanced wear and tear and neglect
shabby wallpaper that was peeling from the walls
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in tattered
worn or torn into or as if into rags
shabby, stained clothes that are barely better than rags
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of shabby
But the issue of homelessness has also become a political liability for Democrats in California and elsewhere, with their Republican opponents drawing attention to striking images of the shabby encampments that sprang up under the party's governance.
—
Shane Croucher, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 May 2025
As of 2025, Logan Paul’s net worth is estimated to be $150 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth—not too shabby for someone who started out by making videos on the internet.
—Jenzia Burgos, StyleCaster, 27 Mar. 2025
Together these buildings trace the contours of change in the city, its history jumbled out of order on a slightly shabby street.
—Francesca Carington, New York Times, 18 Feb. 2025
The widower is a two-time National Lottery winner who lives an uncomplicated existence in an old mansion both grand and shabby.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 1 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shabby
Shane Croucher, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 May 2025
As of 2025, Logan Paul’s net worth is estimated to be $150 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth—not too shabby for someone who started out by making videos on the internet.
—Jenzia Burgos, StyleCaster, 27 Mar. 2025
Together these buildings trace the contours of change in the city, its history jumbled out of order on a slightly shabby street.
—Francesca Carington, New York Times, 18 Feb. 2025
The widower is a two-time National Lottery winner who lives an uncomplicated existence in an old mansion both grand and shabby.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 1 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shabby
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shabby
Adjective
-
Police questioned him in 1994 after a man named Mark Peters turned up dead, tied to a chair in a dilapidated cabin in northern Kentucky.—
Dan Sullivan,
The Orlando Sentinel,
13 May 2025
-
Disaster could have been avoided The bridge project aimed to replace a dilapidated wood bridge about 27 miles northeast of Kansas City, in unincorporated Clay County.—
Kendrick Calfee,
Kansas City Star,
4 May 2025
Adjective
-
And then, in close-up, a bulldozer turns over rubble, and a family photograph is glimpsed in the debris, a tattered symbol of what has been lost.—
Catherine Bray,
Variety,
25 May 2025
-
Its tattered and faded copy of the Magna Carta is worth millions of dollars, Carpenter estimated—though Harvard has no plans to sell it.—
Shane Croucher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 May 2025
Adjective
-
But the area where these cuts will be felt most acutely is with respect to elder abuse, which is already a neglected area of health care and social services.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Apr. 2025
-
By upcycling a neglected garment, Hirsch hopes to give someone the chance to experience the beauty and craftsmanship that goes into creating a piece.—
Tereza Shkurtaj,
People.com,
5 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
The square of white cloth was about to be sewn into a bigger pieces displaying political messages, but the ragged edges didn't neatly line up with the other pieces.—
Trevor Hughes,
USA Today,
7 May 2025
-
Musk: Tesla not on ‘ragged edge of death’ Musk dismisses the idea that the company is in any serious financial distress.—
Chris Isidore,
CNN Money,
28 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Her devotees are still sweating through workouts at a faded gym in Queens.—
Alex Vadukul,
New York Times,
21 May 2025
-
It’s all come a long way from Tennant’s time in a house of eight girls at university, laundry drying racks layered with shapeless, faded underwear.—
Anna Cafolla,
Vogue,
20 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Shabby.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shabby. Accessed 6 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share