Thesaurus.com
Dictionary.com
Definitions

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.

See Examples For:

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

Super Micro Computer spiked 69% in May—not quite as good as its rival, Dell, but not too shabby.

From Barron's May 29, 2026

I met O’Connor on the porch of the shabby two-story house where Francis Ford Coppola filmed his 1983 adaptation of “The Outsiders,” the Tulsa-based novel by S. E. Hinton.

From The Wall Street Journal Apr. 24, 2026

One of the shabby middle-aged men at the front spoke up.

From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt

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

He enjoyed a comfortable childhood north of Montana, until the family real estate company faltered in the early ’90s and the Millers eventually relocated to a smaller rental on Santa Monica’s shabbier southern end.

From Los Angeles Times Jul. 9, 2025

But this one was smaller and shabbier than the rest.

From "The Wild Robot Escapes" by Peter Brown

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

He noticed that the houses had started to gain pillars out front, that even the shabbiest, thinnest house now had its white pillars, proclaiming it, in someone’s eyes, a mansion.

From "American Gods" by Neil Gaiman




Vocabulary lists containing shabby


Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Join 12,000,000 vocabulary learners

Start learning new words today on VocabTrainer.
You'll remember them forever.

Start training