scurvy
9
8.9
- adjective
- /ˈskɜrvi/
- Offensive
:
ruin
- - Get out, you and your scurvy troupe of actors.
- scurvy dogs
- scurvy little
- scurvy-looking
Examples
-
- It's a scurvy trick, I say!
-
You little scurvy!
-
So, still want me on your scurvy crew?
-
The passengers, a scurvy bunch, wait impatiently.
Fiction book (1991) -
With this scurvy gang at the helm of the U.S. ship of state, who needs brigands and pirates?
Blog text (15) -
A most scurvy monster!
-
You have scurvy.
-
Now you think I’m a scurvy dog going through your things.
-
She might well have scurvy, even in the midst of a citrus grove.
Fiction book (1996) -
His scurvy behavior during the negotiation left everyone feeling disgusted.
Synonyms
260
1.3
Having little social rank or importance
116
3.7
A person who is very mean and deserves to be disliked
11
8.4
Very shameful and deserving strong dislike
8
7.4
Very mean or dishonest in a way people dislike
6
8.0
Very dishonest or cruel in a way that makes people feel disgusted
4
8.6
Dirty and unpleasant, like a place with sticky floors
Antonyms
Compounds
A small plant with edible leaves high in vitamin C that sailors used to prevent scurvy
- Specialized
A disease from lack of some nutrients causing skin redness, stomach pain, and memory or mood problems
How Contemptible
- Formal
20
8.2
157
5.0
- Offensive
95
5.7
- Offensive
9
8.9
- Offensive
15
7.4
Surface Forms
Etymology
Scurvy as an insult grew from the nasty image of the disease: people compared mean or low behaviour to something unpleasant and diseased. A helpful way to remember this use is that calling someone scurvy meant they were 'contemptible' or 'deserving disgust'.