shabbier; shabbiest
1
: clothed with worn or seedy garments
a shabby hobo
2
a
: threadbare and faded from wear
a shabby sofa
b
: ill-kept : dilapidated
a shabby neighborhood
3
a
: mean, despicable, contemptible
must feel shabby … because of his compromises—
Nat Hentoff
Nat Hentoff
b
: ungenerous, unfair
laments the shabby way in which this country often treated a poet—Paul Engle
Paul Engle
c
: inferior in quality
shabby reasoning
Examples of shabby in a Sentence
The furniture was old and shabby.
He wore a shabby coat.
Her first apartment was pretty shabby.
They complained about the shabby treatment they received at the hotel.
Backing out of the deal was a shabby thing to do.
Recent Examples on the Web
His numbers against Castle View (295 yards on 21-of-26 passing) were not too shabby.
—Matt Schubert, Denver Post, 14 Oct. 2025
That’s not too shabby, although Singaporeans, holding the world’s most powerful passport, can visit a cool 192 countries without getting a visa ahead of time.
—AFAR Media, 13 Oct. 2025
His record against fellow ‘Big Six’ teams as a whole is not too shabby either.
—Art De Roché, New York Times, 9 Oct. 2025
Just then a figure stepped out of the shadows, or sidled, rather, a low, ruffianly type clad in a shabby, dark-green coat and leather gaiters.
—Literary Hub, 8 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shabby
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.
Matt Schubert, Denver Post, 14 Oct. 2025
That’s not too shabby, although Singaporeans, holding the world’s most powerful passport, can visit a cool 192 countries without getting a visa ahead of time.
—AFAR Media, 13 Oct. 2025
His record against fellow ‘Big Six’ teams as a whole is not too shabby either.
—Art De Roché, New York Times, 9 Oct. 2025
Just then a figure stepped out of the shadows, or sidled, rather, a low, ruffianly type clad in a shabby, dark-green coat and leather gaiters.
—Literary Hub, 8 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shabby
Cite this Entry
“Shabby.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shabby. Accessed 18 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
shabby
adjective
shab·by
ˈshab-ē 
shabbier; shabbiest
1
: dressed in worn clothes
2
a
: worn and faded from wear
a shabby sofa
b
: ill kept : dilapidated
shabby houses
3
: not fair or generous
shabby treatment
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share