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
Not that Cannes’ lineup was all that shabby.
—
Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 27 Aug. 2025
Your throw pillows may come out smelling clean and fresh, but looking a lot shabbier.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 18 Aug. 2025
And Jane Austen's Emma isn't too shabby either, as a starting off point.
—EW.com, 14 Aug. 2025
Jane Austen ain’t too shabby herself - the book Emma - and then Amy put her brilliant twist on it.
—Jeff Conway, Forbes.com, 11 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shabby
Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 27 Aug. 2025
Your throw pillows may come out smelling clean and fresh, but looking a lot shabbier.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 18 Aug. 2025
And Jane Austen's Emma isn't too shabby either, as a starting off point.
—EW.com, 14 Aug. 2025
Jane Austen ain’t too shabby herself - the book Emma - and then Amy put her brilliant twist on it.
—Jeff Conway, Forbes.com, 11 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shabby
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shabby
Adjective
-
Additionally, several existing dilapidated buildings on the site will be demolished and their concrete recycled and partly reused to realize the new structures.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
6 Sep. 2025
-
Dayna is unemployed and newly single, and an out-of-the-blue opportunity to fix up a dilapidated mansion into an influencer house seems like her ticket to a new life.—
Clare Mulroy,
USA Today,
31 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Skyridge will send you its tattered battle plans during its long trip back to Utah.—
Kyle Newman,
Denver Post,
13 Sep. 2025
-
Of the roiling mass of restless natives, cranky artists and tattered idealists who rose up across the Southland this summer to flip off darkness and call America back to its better angels?—
John Lopez,
HollywoodReporter,
6 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Same premise as the exterior, but even more important: Don’t buy a car with a neglected interior.—
Jimmy Camp,
Oc Register,
4 Aug. 2025
-
Close the Loop Following through on commitments is the simplest and yet shockingly most neglected way to earn long-term trust.—
Serenity Gibbons,
Forbes.com,
31 July 2025
Adjective
-
The original Toxic Avenger was made for chump change and wore its low-budget nature proudly, while this version, which was shot in Bulgaria in 2021 and involves both practical and digital effects, tries to evoke that ragged aesthetic while working with more resources.—
Alison Willmore,
Vulture,
29 Aug. 2025
-
Frost is, by reputation, perhaps the foremost poet of rural, non-coastal New England — of birches and apple trees, of forests blanketed in snow, of pastures sliced by ragged stone walls, and of the flinty, self-sufficient kind of temperament that flourishes in those places.—
A.O. Scott,
New York Times,
27 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Williams, in a faded plaid shirt, gray hair sprouting from under a John Deere hat, paced.—
Molly Parker,
ProPublica,
4 Sep. 2025
-
While some might have a faded tie-dye shirt in the back of their closet and listen to the occasional Grateful Dead album, seniors across the spectrum are turning to cannabis—many for the first time.—
Peter Su,
Rolling Stone,
4 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Shabby.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shabby. Accessed 14 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share