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shabby

[shab-ee] / ˈʃæb i /




Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

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The show stars Sir Gary as Jackson Lamb, the shabby and dischevelled yet competent head of Slough House whose trademark move is breaking wind.

From BBC Jun. 17, 2026

The whole affair was tawdry, shabby, and cheap—designed to pander to downwardly mobile young men who felt angry at the world.

From Slate Jun. 11, 2026

His novel “The Damned Utd,” based on Brian Clough’s disastrous 44 days managing Leeds United in 1974, captures the texture of an English provincial city of the era, all shabby hotels, beer and highways.

From The Wall Street Journal Jun. 4, 2026

The new rules do not apply to notorious "coffin homes", cubicles stacked on top of each other like bunk beds in shabby dormitories.

From Barron's May 28, 2026

Instead, it’s Papi’s van, looking especially shabby in the loop.

From "Merci Suárez Changes Gears" by Meg Medina

“From A to Z, from animal services to the zoo, the city is shabbier and more dysfunctional than it was three years ago,” said Cole, now a member of the Pasadena City Council.

From Los Angeles Times May 27, 2026

A shabbier perspective is integral to any depiction of Jacobs’ work.

From Salon Mar. 27, 2026

The meeting house grows progressively more dilapidated, and the costumes get shabbier, indicating that things aren’t going well for the Puritans.

From The Wall Street Journal Jan. 2, 2026

However, the photo she said she took in person showed a much shabbier house, featuring uneven grass and cluttered with yard equipment where the bench was supposed to be.

From Slate Oct. 17, 2025

The hallway with its eight doors seemed smaller to Lina than it had when she was a student, and shabbier.

From "The City of Ember" by Jeanne DuPrau

But it is a copout of the shabbiest sort to exploit this anxiety as a way of averting our gaze from the undiminished threat of North Korea.

From The Guardian Apr. 17, 2017

We’re the ones who highlight the shabbiest research.

From Slate Aug. 28, 2016

The pattern veered to the extreme Saturday afternoon, when the Nationals followed their self-described biggest win of the season with one of their shabbiest losses.

From Washington Post Jun. 29, 2013

Not the shabbiest of lists, we're sure you'll agree.

From The Guardian Jan. 23, 2013

I had a small collection of books that came with me to Forks, the shabbiest volume being a compilation of the works of Jane Austen.

From "Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer




Vocabulary lists containing shabby


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