1
as in dilapidated
showing signs of advanced wear and tear and neglect
shabby wallpaper that was peeling from the walls
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
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Recent Examples of shabby
In South Beach’s tranquil Palm View neighborhood, a once-stylish house gone shabby offers a case study in a complicated conflict facing many South Florida communities threatened by rising seas, tides and storm surge.
—
Ashley Miznazi, Miami Herald, 25 July 2025
The director Dustin Wills has co-designed a surreal set, full of shabby, sentimental sweetness, with the designer Kate Noll.
—Helen Shaw, New Yorker, 25 July 2025
Not too shabby for a 23-year-old who was pitching in just his sixth game in the majors.
—Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 16 July 2025
Blacksmithing Is Having a Moment: The combination of adorable animals, good-looking men (and women) and the satisfaction of watching a shabby hoof get scraped and hammered has emerged as must-scroll viewing for millions of people.
—New York Times, 21 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for shabby
Ashley Miznazi, Miami Herald, 25 July 2025
The director Dustin Wills has co-designed a surreal set, full of shabby, sentimental sweetness, with the designer Kate Noll.
—Helen Shaw, New Yorker, 25 July 2025
Not too shabby for a 23-year-old who was pitching in just his sixth game in the majors.
—Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 16 July 2025
Blacksmithing Is Having a Moment: The combination of adorable animals, good-looking men (and women) and the satisfaction of watching a shabby hoof get scraped and hammered has emerged as must-scroll viewing for millions of people.
—New York Times, 21 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for shabby
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shabby
Adjective
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What's with all those vacant and dilapidated houses in West Louisville?—
Ray Padilla,
The Courier-Journal,
28 Aug. 2025
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So, in 2014, the city began buying dangerous and dilapidated properties and selling the land to developers at a low cost.—
Karissa Waddick,
USA Today,
25 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Despite its tattered state, the sofa's unique silhouette and designer pedigree drew astonishment on Reddit.—
Melissa Fleur Afshar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 Aug. 2025
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Regional sports networks, once a gusher for programmers and operators, have been in a tattered financial state due to cord-cutting.—
Dade Hayes,
Deadline,
6 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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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
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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
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The veteran lefty rallied from a ragged first two innings to put the Rockies in a position to win.—
Patrick Saunders,
Denver Post,
28 Aug. 2025
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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
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Cone will display the worn and faded garments at Kingpins Amsterdam.—
Angela Velasquez,
Sourcing Journal,
18 Apr. 2025
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There is, also, something compensatory in a regard for faded footstools, thick boots and window curtains.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
4 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Shabby.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shabby. Accessed 3 Sep. 2025.
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