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shabby

shabby

33 2.5
Worn and in poor condition because of long use or little care
  • adjective
  • /ˈʃæbi/
translation icon : deteriorado
  • The restaurant's shabby decor made it feel uninviting and unkempt.
  • shabby clothes
  • a shabby apartment
  • shabby old house

They pass with the moment of effect and are shabby and tawdry in the daylight.

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Examples

  • The old sofa in the living room looked shabby after years of use and neglect.

  • The few pieces of furniture were shabby: two unpainted chairs, a worn woven rug.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • This city itself was shabby, dirty, declining, angry.

  • One afternoon, these new friends gathered on the couch of our shabby studio apartment.

    Academic text (2001)
  • Standing right next to the wealthy couple was a thin, tall man in shabby clothes.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • His clothes, a shabby green coat and light trousers, did nothing to enhance his appearance.

    Academic text (2010)
  • There weren't any dining cars, and the seats were all shabby.

  • Pork spent the night at a shabby cottage in the weedy wilds of Touhy Avenue.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • She wore a shabby coat that had clearly seen better days.

Synonyms

mean
vsshabby
65 4.7

Poor and in bad condition with little value

means poor condition from use or neglect rather than low value only
mangy
vsshabby
  • Offensive
28 6.5

Worn and dirty, in bad condition

describes poor condition from use rather than disease appearance
dingy
vsshabby
23 4.6

Dark and dirty so it does not look bright

refers to wear and neglect rather than only dullness or dirt
scruffy
vsshabby
23 3.8

Messy and untidy in clothes or appearance

covers poor condition broadly, not only untidiness in appearance
ratty
vsshabby
  • Informal
19 5.4

Looking worn and dirty from use

is a broader term for poor condition, not only dirty or frayed
raggedy
vsshabby
  • Informal
12 4.0

Something that looks worn, torn, and messy

describes general neglected condition rather than a playful messy look
ramshackle
vsshabby
10 7.5

Old and in very bad condition, like a house about to fall down

is less extreme, indicating worn condition but not collapse
tattered
vsshabby
4 4.1

Old and torn clothes or fabric with loose threads

focuses on worn or neglected condition rather than torn damage
tatty
vsshabby
  • UK
2 6.0

Worn and in poor condition because of age or heavy use

is the general state of poor condition from long use or neglect
moth-eaten
vsshabby
1 4.8

Old clothing or fabric with small holes made by moths

refers to general wear, not specific insect or hole damage
battered
vsshabby
3.7

An object that is damaged and has many marks from rough use

is about general wear from neglect rather than severe impact

Antonyms

62 5.6

Something that is very comfortable and expensive and shows someone is rich

7 1.8

Neat and in good condition because someone looks after it

Compounds

A feeling in a place that is old and not well kept

shabby-genteel
  • Archaic
9.3

A person or place that looks slightly worn but still tries to seem elegant

How Worn

ramshackle
10 7.5
dilapidated
18 6.2
shabby
33 2.5
tatty
  • UK
2 6.0
worn
4 2.1

Surface Forms

shabby positive
shabbier comparative
shabbiest superlative

Etymology

Shabby comes from an old word shab meaning 'scabby' or 'mangy', which gives the picture of cloth or animals with worn patches. So shabby now means 'in poor condition' because it looked worn and uncared for.