shabby

Meanings

1. 1adjectivecomparable

   Looking worn, faded or neglected because it is old or has been used a lot.

   Grammar: Goes before a noun or after be or look: a shabby coat, the sofa looks shabby.

   Patterns

   • look shabby

   He wore a shabby coat with frayed cuffs.

   The hotel looked shabby, with peeling paint and worn carpets.

   The shabby sofa still felt comfortable.

2. 2adjectivecomparabledisapproving

   Unfair, mean or not worthy of respect.

   Grammar: Describes treatment, behavior or a deal: a shabby trick.

   Patterns

   • a shabby way to treat someone

   Firing her without notice was a shabby way to treat a loyal worker.

   They gave us a shabby excuse and walked away.

   It was shabby of him to forget her birthday.

Word forms

Common combinations

shabby clothes

Despite his shabby clothes, he spoke with great dignity.

shabby treatment

The staff complained about shabby treatment from management.

shabby genteel

The house had a shabby genteel charm.

a shabby trick

Taking credit for her work was a shabby trick.

look shabby

The old bus station is beginning to look shabby.

Synonyms and how they differ

scruffy

Scruffy describes untidy or unkempt appearance, especially of a person, while shabby suggests clothes or places worn down by time.

worn

Worn simply means damaged by use, but shabby adds a sense of poor, rundown quality.

run-down

Run-down is mostly used for buildings and areas, whereas shabby also fits clothes and behavior.

mean

Mean describes unkindness only, while shabby suggests unkindness that is also unworthy or unfair.

Opposites

Word family

shabbily adverb

in a worn or unfair way

shabbiness noun

the state of being worn or unfair

shabby-chic adjective

a decor style using deliberately worn furniture

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “shabby”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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