Skip to main content
crummy

crummy

56 6.7
Low quality and unpleasant
  • adjective
  • /ˈkrəmi/
  • Informal
translation icon : malo
  • This restaurant serves crummy food that is cold and bland.
  • a crummy job
  • feel crummy
  • crummy weather

The right to keep the kids from eating crummy foods in the back of the car.

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • Come on out to our crummy little motel next to the BP off exit forty-eight.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • OK, well, life insurance is a crummy place to invest money.

  • OK, it's a little bit crummy, but I think you got the idea.

  • All feeling guilty does is make you a really crummy partner.

  • You still have the same crummy old coffee.

  • Do you distinguish between good games and crummy games?

  • This is a crummy tip, but I'll get back to you later.

  • If we're not careful, we can easily feel crummy looking at everyone else's life.

    Blog text (13)
  • We didn't drive all day and see boring things and stay in crummy motels.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • Now, he said, biting angrily into his sandwich, they were stuck in this crummy town.

    Fiction book (1994)

Synonyms

bad
vscrummy
1.0

Not good in quality or below the usual standard

adds an informal, slightly negative tone rather than plain judgment
terrible
vscrummy
1.0

Very bad or unpleasant and often serious

is more colloquial and slightly less grave in tone
lousy
vscrummy
  • Informal
562 4.1

Very bad or mean and not liked by people

is more neutral and focuses on inferior quality only
cheap
vscrummy
347 1.0

Not made well and breaks or wears out quickly

covers poor quality more generally, not just poor construction
crappy
vscrummy
  • NSFW
176 7.5

Very bad or of low quality

is milder and less harshly negative in tone
rotten
vscrummy
160 1.0

Very bad and unpleasant to experience

is informal and slightly less intense than that strong term
mediocre
vscrummy
109 4.8

Only average in quality and not very good

is stronger, indicating clearly unpleasant or inferior quality
punk
vscrummy
  • Slang
83 7.7

Of very poor quality and likely to break

is less about worth and more about being unpleasant or inferior
pitiful
vscrummy
54 3.9

So bad or weak that people feel angry and look down on it

is poor or unpleasant without provoking strong pity or contempt
trashy
vscrummy
  • Informal
37 3.7

Cheap and low quality that looks ugly or not stylish

is about poor quality generally, not style or taste specifically
cheesy
vscrummy
  • Informal
32 4.3

Looks low quality and cheaply made, like a plastic toy

refers to poor quality without implying tackiness or style
abysmal
vscrummy
25 7.1

Very bad or of poor quality

is negative too but usually less extreme in severity
sucky
vscrummy
  • Informal
23 9.3

Very bad or disappointing to experience

is similar but often less emphatic and more neutral
atrocious
vscrummy
19 7.0

Being very bad and of low quality

is negative but often less intense and more everyday
wretched
vscrummy
14 5.7

In very bad condition and of very poor quality

is similar but often used more casually and less severe
cruddy
vscrummy
  • Informal
4 6.0

Dirty and not good quality

focuses on low quality rather than dirtiness or filth
godawful
vscrummy
  • Informal
4 8.2

Very bad and unpleasant, of poor quality

is negative too but usually softer and less dramatic
woeful
vscrummy
4 5.5

Very bad in quality or condition

is milder and more colloquial about poor quality
sleazy
vscrummy
4 6.4

Poorly made and cheap so it breaks or wears quickly

focuses simply on low quality without moral or sexual overtones
grotty
vscrummy
  • UK
2 8.4

Looks dirty and unpleasant, often like a shabby room or shop

is about poor quality in general, not mainly dirt or shabbiness
manky
vscrummy
  • Slang
1 9.9

Being dirty and unpleasant and of low quality

is similar but more general and less focused on dirtiness
ropey
vscrummy
  • UK
1 9.2

Poor in quality and not good enough

is similar but less tied to British informal usage
chintzy
vscrummy
  • Informal
1 7.9

Cheap and poorly made, likely to fall apart quickly

addresses low quality without the stingy or mean sense
tinny
vscrummy
1 5.0

A thing that is thin, weak, and breaks easily

is broader, covering unpleasantness and general low quality
really sucky
vscrummy
  • Slang
1 8.4

Very bad and disappointing to experience

is informal too but often less slangy and shorter
crumby
vscrummy
  • Informal
1 7.0

Poor quality and disappointing

expresses the same general low quality without that exact tone
poopie
vscrummy
  • Informal
1 9.2

An informal word used to say something is bad or low quality

is informal too but less childish and more general
drossy
vscrummy
1 9.4

Containing a lot of useless or low-value material

refers to poor overall quality, not only impurity or waste
ropy
vscrummy
  • UK
9.3

Of very poor quality and not good

is informal too but more general and neutral in variety
poorish
vscrummy
  • Informal
4.6

Not very good in quality or condition

indicates worse quality and clearer unpleasantness
rubbishy
vscrummy
  • UK
7.0

Cheap and poorly made

focuses on overall unpleasant or poor quality, not only value
pure shitpiss
vscrummy
  • Offensive
9.9

A thing that is very bad and not worth having

conveys poor quality without extreme vulgar emphasis
slummy
vscrummy
7.4

An area with poor, dirty housing that people do not take care of

is about low quality items or experiences, not place condition
crocky
vscrummy
  • UK
9.6

Old and in bad condition, it often stops working

is broader, covering unpleasantness beyond mechanical failure
bum
vscrummy
  • Informal
6.0

Very poor quality and not reliable

emphasizes unpleasant or inferior quality rather than functionality

Antonyms

1.0

Very good and better than most similar things

How Bad

terrible
1.0
awful
1.0
crummy
  • Informal
56 6.7
poor
838 1.0
acceptable
477 2.5

Surface Forms

crummy positive

Morphology

crummy = crumb (opaque) = crumb + y

Although formed as 'crumb' + '-y', the slang meaning 'poor or inferior' cannot be reliably derived from 'crumb' by an average learner.

Etymology

A helpful way to remember the word crummy is to think of crumb, a small bit of bread, because something 'crummy' feels cheap, messy, or full of crumbs. So, crummy means 'very poor' or 'unpleasant'.