scurvy

Synonym Chooser

How is the word scurvy different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of scurvy are contemptible, despicable, pitiable, and sorry. While all these words mean "arousing or deserving scorn," scurvy adds to despicable an implication of arousing disgust.

a scurvy crew of hangers-on

When might contemptible be a better fit than scurvy?

The synonyms contemptible and scurvy are sometimes interchangeable, but contemptible may imply any quality provoking scorn or a low standing in any scale of values.

a contemptible liar

When can despicable be used instead of scurvy?

The words despicable and scurvy can be used in similar contexts, but despicable may imply utter worthlessness and usually suggests arousing an attitude of moral indignation.

a despicable crime

When would pitiable be a good substitute for scurvy?

The words pitiable and scurvy are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, pitiable applies to what inspires mixed contempt and pity.

a pitiable attempt at tragedy

When could sorry be used to replace scurvy?

In some situations, the words sorry and scurvy are roughly equivalent. However, sorry may stress pitiable inadequacy or may suggest wretchedness or sordidness.

this rattletrap is a sorry excuse for a car

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 scurvy The latest research indicates that the men split into groups sometime after April 1848, with some parties surviving longer than others but all ultimately dying of starvation, scurvy, exposure, physical exhaustion and chronic illnesses, among other causes. Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 19 May 2025 William and his assistants were nonetheless able to build solid pillars of data, mass death broken down into discrete numerals to represent sexes, ages, locations, seasons, years, and causes of mortality, which included starvation, scurvy, dysentery, cholera, typhus, and relapsing fever. Fintan O'Toole, The New Yorker, 10 Mar. 2025 However, over weeks, people with little to no vitamin C can get scurvy. Melissa Nieves, Verywell Health, 12 Feb. 2025 In the Age of Sail, mercury was used on ships to treat fever, scurvy, constipation, and more, often in the form of calomel, or mercurous chloride. Sallie Tisdale, Harper's Magazine, 2 Dec. 2024 See All Example Sentences for scurvy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scurvy
Adjective
  • As holidays go, however, Flag Day can feel a bit lame.
    Kevin Fisher-Paulson, San Francisco Chronicle, 8 June 2021
  • My 11-year-old loved watching the pups roll balls and play a giant floor piano, but for non-dog owners (guilty as charged), parts of the series—like dressing dogs in little hats and outfits for a Parisian fashion show—feel lame.
    Tim Neville, Outside Online, 23 Nov. 2020
Adjective
  • Fried wasn’t the only reason the Yankees lost on Sunday, as the Bombers’ bats were pitiful against Jason Alexander.
    Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 10 Aug. 2025
  • This negative sentiment was also felt on both sides of the Atlantic, given their pitiful plummet in popularity.
    Brie Stimson , Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 25 July 2025
Adjective
  • The Rockies didn't reach double digits in wins until beating the Miami Marlins on June 2, improving to a wretched 10-50.
    John Perrotto, Forbes.com, 25 Aug. 2025
  • That’s a problem for student borrowers, because the private lending industry has a wretched history, rife with deceptive practices.
    Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 12 June 2025
Adjective
  • Below are the top options, ranked from cheapest to most expensive starting prices: T-Mobile Home Internet: Starts at $50 per month for speeds up to 415 Mbps, with simple pricing and no extra equipment costs.
    Roxanne Downer, USA Today, 26 Aug. 2025
  • But amid that digital transition, VF chased cheap traffic, diverting readers’ attention away from the big swings of magazine journalism and pushing it into commodity news and quick-turn aggregation.
    Max Tani, semafor.com, 25 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • For most people who contract the virus, symptoms resemble those of a nasty cold and include a runny nose, aches, sore throat, congestion and maybe a fever.
    Beth Warren, The Tennessean, 23 Aug. 2025
  • The 37-year-old plays Emilia Harcourt, an agent from the lack ops squad, A.R.G.U.S., who immediately shows off her skills in the season 2 premiere episode beating up men three times her size in a nasty bar brawl.
    Colleen Kratofil, People.com, 22 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • Cleaning your garbage can is dirty work, but regular scrubbing will keep odors at bay and bugs away.
    Cody Godwin, USA Today, 24 Aug. 2025
  • Democrats often play dirty and do so here in California regularly given their supermajorities, but they currently are outmatched by Trump’s backyard-brawl tactics and keep getting shivved during these street fights.
    Steven Greenhut, Oc Register, 22 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • But Douglas Luiz is their landmark signing of the summer, the addition that sends out a message to the rest of the Premier League — in a slightly different way to the one from this time three years ago — that Forest mean business.
    Paul Taylor, New York Times, 22 Aug. 2025
  • The 6–10 Day and 8–14 Day averages are then calculated by averaging all of the daily mean temperatures within their respective forecast periods, the agency says.
    Joe Edwards, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • One of the guests makes a disgusting joke involving the boat and lubricant.
    Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 26 Aug. 2025
  • Leftovers on a plate are more disgusting than leftovers in a pot, and leftovers on someone else’s plate more disgusting still.
    Rafil Kroll-Zaidi, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Scurvy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scurvy. Accessed 3 Sep. 2025.

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