scruffy
23
3.8
- adjective
- /ˈskrʌfi/
:
desaliñado
- He showed up to the party in a scruffy t-shirt and old jeans.
- scruffy and untidy
But I was definitely the scruffiest child in school.
- But I was definitely the scruffiest child in school.
- So I used to be quite scruffy.
- And by scruffy, I mean like accidentally on purpose scruffy.
- The guy's in the FBI jacket and all of a sudden a bunch of scruffy looking.
- But but we shot it the way I, I, I know it, you know, which is a scruffy little, you know, work pit and the kind.
- Apart from looking scruffy as fuck and smelling a burnt wood, Tanya says you're different.
Examples
-
There's a scruffy dog in the bar, and he barks at the dancers.
Fiction book (1996) -
His narrow face was partially obscured by a scruffy goatee and a pair of wire-framed glasses.
Fiction book (1997) -
Liam, the cute scruffy dog is back!
-
I just mean the mountain folk can get a little, uh... scruffy at times, and I am not talking about the men.
-
A lot of times you might think he's some scruffy looking character.
-
Michael shifted from foot to foot in his scruffy black sneakers.
Fiction book (1990) -
There's a scruffy-looking kid outside.
-
Sarah thought of herself, her skinny bones and scruffy white hair, her owl eyes, and she blushed.
Fiction book (1999) -
Then she saw him, a scruffy Armenian with sandy, graying hair.
Fiction book (1993) -
By then, he had grown a scruffy beard to mask his gaunt cheeks and graying skin.
Fiction book (1994)
Synonyms
28
6.5
Worn and dirty, in bad condition
26
6.1
Looking dirty and run down and often linked to crime
22
3.2
With long, thick, untidy hair, fur, or material that looks rough
21
6.1
Having messy hair, clothes, or things around them
13
5.1
Not neat in appearance, often with messy hair or clothes
12
4.0
Something that looks worn, torn, and messy
11
7.3
Clothes or a person that look old-fashioned and not attractive
9
6.0
Thin and untidy in appearance, often with rough, uneven ends
5
6.9
Being messy and dirty in the way a person looks or acts
4
8.6
Dirty and unpleasant, like a place with sticky floors
2
5.6
Covered with a thin dirty film on the surface
1
9.9
A room or place that is very messy and dirty
1
7.4
Messy and untidy in how a person or place looks
1
7.7
Dirty and untidy in appearance
1
3.7
Long, thick hair that looks messy and not neat
Acting untidy and lazy, often leaving rooms and dishes messy
Looking dirty and untidy like someone who lives on the streets
Having long, thick, untidy fur or hair that needs brushing
Appears torn or worn, like old clothes with holes
Having old torn clothes and looking untidy
Having hair or fabric that is messy and stuck together in clumps
A woman who looks untidy and a little rough
Antonyms
How Messy
Surface Forms
Morphology
scruffy = scruff (transparent) = scruff + y
A straightforward adjectival formation meaning 'having the qualities of a scruff (untidy person)', which a learner familiar with 'scruff' can readily infer.
Etymology
Scruffy probably comes from scruff, a word for the 'back of the neck' or a rough, untidy place, and is like scuff, which means 'to scrape'. So when something is scruffy, it looks worn, rough, or untidy, as if it has been rubbed and not cared for.