Meaning & use
mangy
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Meanings
adjectivecomparable
Suffering from mange, a skin disease of animals that causes itching and patchy loss of fur.
Grammar: Goes before a noun or after 'be': a mangy fox; the dog looked mangy.
Patterns
- a mangy dog
A mangy fox crept along the edge of the yard looking for scraps.
The vet said the mangy puppy would recover with medicated baths.
Stray cats with mangy coats often gather behind the market.
adjectivecomparableinformalfigurative
Shabby, worn and in poor condition, as if neglected.
Grammar: Informal figurative use for objects and sometimes people.
Patterns
- a mangy old something
He sat on a mangy sofa that smelled of damp.
The mangy carpet in the hallway was frayed at the edges.
She refused to wear the mangy fur coat her aunt had left her.
Word forms
| comparative | mangier |
|---|---|
| superlative | mangiest |
Common combinations
- mangy dog
- A mangy dog followed us down the dusty road.
- mangy fur
- The fox's mangy fur hung in tufts.
- mangy coat
- The stray's mangy coat was crawling with fleas.
- mangy old
- He dragged a mangy old rug out of the shed.
- mangy cat
- A mangy cat slept under the bus shelter.
Synonyms and how they differ
- scruffy
- It means untidy and unkempt but not necessarily diseased, so it is milder than 'mangy'.
- shabby
- It describes things that are worn out from heavy use, and it is a more general word than 'mangy'.
- moth-eaten
- It suggests holes and wear from age, which is a more visual description than 'mangy'.
- scabby
- It focuses on sores and crusted skin, so it is more physical and more unpleasant.
Opposites
Word family
- mange noun
- a skin disease of animals caused by mites
- manginess noun
- the state of being mangy
Commonly confused: mangy or manger?
mangy vs manger
A manger is a trough that holds feed for animals, as in the nativity story. It sounds a little like 'mangy' but is unrelated to disease.
Practice
The vet explained that the fox was ____ and needed treatment for the itching mites.
Choose one answer.
'Mangy' describes an animal with mange, the mite-caused skin disease. 'Mangled' means badly damaged or crushed, and it sounds similar but doesn't refer to disease.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “mangy”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.