scruffier; scruffiest
: unkempt, slovenly, shaggy
a scruffy neighborhood
a scruffy beard
scruffily adverb
scruffiness noun

Examples of scruffy in a Sentence

The neighborhood is full of dilapidated houses with scruffy backyards. dressed in scruffy old clothes to clean out the garage
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
In fact, plenty of other teams from the Oakland A’s of the ‘70s, who were actually paid $300 by owner Charley Finley to sport facial hair, to the scruffy and hirsute Red Sox of 2004, won it all with facial hair. Marc Edelman, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2025 When the 18-year-old was making his way through the various age groups at Southampton, he was deemed to be a bit scruffy, with his boot laces always undone and socks rolled down, but this also endeared him to the coaches. The Athletic Uk Staff, The Athletic, 13 Feb. 2025 And yet, Rebuilding was filled with such humanity, such warm detail, and Josh O’Connor made such a wonderfully scruffy sad single dad, that the movie transcended any clichés. Josh O’Connor in Rebuilding. Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 31 Jan. 2025 Such traits are evident in its architecture, which has remained largely the same throughout history, from ornate palazzi to a scruffy, labyrinthine old town whose narrow streets (caruggi in the local dialect) barely get any sunlight. Arati Menon, Condé Nast Traveler, 18 Dec. 2024 See All Example Sentences for scruffy

Word History

Etymology

scruff, metathetic variant of scurf (also with senses "something worthless or contemptible, contemptible person") + -y entry 1

First Known Use

1871, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of scruffy was in 1871

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Scruffy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scruffy. Accessed 9 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

scruffy

adjective
scruffier; scruffiest
: dirty or shabby in appearance
a scruffy beard

More from Merriam-Webster on scruffy

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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