How to Use scurvy in a Sentence

scurvy

1 of 2 noun
  • Mild scurvy caused bleeding gums, tooth loss and foul-smelling breath.
    — Katherine Ott, The Conversation, 2 July 2026
  • Because looking for a black or tan knife on the ground can be as much fun as a case of scurvy.
    — Matt Foster, Outdoor Life, 31 Jan. 2020
  • Britain’s soldiers and sailors died by the hundreds from yellow fever and scurvy.
    — Washington Post, 10 Nov. 2021
  • For all who were able to stomach them, penguin and seal steaks reversed the effects of scurvy.
    — Julian Sancton, Time, 12 May 2021
  • In the Russian camps, people got sick with scurvy, from a lack of vitamins.
    — Ben Taub, The New Yorker, 30 Apr. 2018
  • As the crew forged across the Pacific Ocean, food spoiled and scurvy and starvation struck.
    — Erin Blakemore, National Geographic, 19 Sep. 2019
  • To Heidl, the bankers and politicians are the real scoundrels, scurvy in their double-dealing and greed.
    — William Giraldi, Philly.com, 6 Apr. 2018
  • Drag privation out long enough, and scurvy’s victims are stripped of their ability to learn and feel and remember.
    — Bathsheba Demuth, The Atlantic, 22 Sep. 2021
  • The lime juice on its own would have significantly prevented scurvy and dysentery.
    — Brenda Cain, cleveland.com, 8 June 2017
  • Jeff, too, is dragged down that path, transforming from a sweet underachiever (who once had scurvy) to a vengeful husk — and then back again.
    — Jesse Green, New York Times, 30 Jan. 2018
  • At the least, the air would have been less toxic, and there might have been lower mortality rates from scurvy, dysentery and typhus.
    — A. Roger Ekirch, WSJ, 22 Aug. 2017
  • When the men finally do unbutton their ruffled blouses, the women are greeted by signs of scurvy as well as a few abs.
    — Harrison Richlin, IndieWire, 8 Dec. 2024
  • The conversation leads to Claire, who taught Jamie that eating greens prevents scurvy.
    — Julie Kosin, Harper's BAZAAR, 25 Sep. 2017
  • Cook and his men had worried about scurvy; my biggest vitamin C concern would be which blend of fresh juice to choose with breakfast.
    — Susan Casey, Travel + Leisure, 10 Jan. 2026
  • The diet of mainly meat and starch frequently resulted in ailments like rickets and scurvy.
    — Neil Irwin, New York Times, 13 May 2016
  • Patients with scurvy typically have weakness, gum disease and poor wound healing.
    — Omer Awan, Forbes, 1 Jan. 2025
  • Aisha developed scurvy-like symptoms, and was beginning to lose three teeth after months of poor nutrition.
    — Natalie Musumeci, Fox News, 1 May 2021
  • Still, it’s commonly agreed that skipping vegetables for an extended length of time can cause scurvy — or at least a creeping sense of guilt.
    — Elisa Ludwig, Philly.com, 8 Feb. 2018
  • But what about scurvy, a fatal disease caused by vitamin C deficiency?
    — Jay Kakade january 19, New Atlas, 19 Jan. 2026
  • Dysentery and scurvy ravaged the vessel, killing or incapacitating many on board.
    — The Week Uk, TheWeek, 8 Jan. 2026
  • Once treated, there is usually no permanent damage due to scurvy, except in the case of severe dental disease.
    — Leah Groth, Health.com, 20 Aug. 2020
  • Researchers found no signs of rickets, scurvy or anemia—diseases caused by nutrient deficiencies that can warp the skeleton.
    — Alex Fox, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 July 2020
  • To that mix was added the daily dose of lime and some sugar–although the connection between citrus and scurvy wasn’t formalized for more than 50 years.
    — Kat Eschner, Smithsonian, 31 July 2017
  • Because cranberries kept well and retained their vitamin C, sailors and whalers once relied on them to help prevent scurvy during long voyages.
    — Bethany Thayer, Freep.com, 22 Nov. 2025
  • The crew experienced bloody battles with bears, the stench of scurvy, and the dispiriting blackness of the polar winter and their struggle with hunger as supplies dwindled.
    — Richard Schiffman, The Christian Science Monitor, 8 Jan. 2021
  • The researchers say that contemporary accounts of Louis’s demise recount the king spitting out bits of gum and teeth, consistent with what was found in the mandible and signs of late-stage scurvy.
    — Jason Daley, Smithsonian, 26 June 2019
  • Looking at the jaw, the team saw very strong signs that Louis suffered from a bad case of scurvy, a disease caused by a lack of vitamin C in the diet that attacks the gums and bones.
    — Jason Daley, Smithsonian, 26 June 2019
  • Franklin’s men perished from scurvy, starvation and apparent lead poisoning from food tins, with some resorting to cannibalism toward the end.
    — Frank Jordans, The Seattle Times, 19 July 2017
  • Doctors recently diagnosed scurvy in two patients living in distant parts of the planet, one in Canada and one in Australia.
    — Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 Oct. 2024
  • Miner’s lettuce got its common name because the 49er gold miners discovered that eating the vitamin C-rich plant helped avoid scurvy.
    — Rebecca Parr, The Mercury News, 24 Mar. 2017

scurvy

2 of 2 adjective
  • Like scurvy, beriberi can be found in people who lack fresh food.
    — Livia Gershon, Smithsonian Magazine, 20 May 2021
  • If left unchecked, scurvy leads to teeth falling out, severe pain and death.
    — David Reamer, Anchorage Daily News, 12 June 2022
  • Without it, scurvy develops, and hair, gums, skin, muscles and bones all start to unravel.
    — John J. Ross, WSJ, 30 Oct. 2020
  • But every kingdom has its sudden outbreaks of corruption, and scurvy tricks.
    — Joseph Goodman | [email protected], al, 10 Feb. 2023
  • During the 18th century, more British soldiers died from scurvy than in battle.
    — David Reamer, Anchorage Daily News, 12 June 2022
  • Most people don’t worry too much about rickets, goiters or scurvy in North America these days.
    — Scott Lear, Discover Magazine, 11 Oct. 2019
  • However, the good news is that scurvy is easy to combat and symptoms can be alleviated in as little as 24 hours.
    — New Atlas, 22 Oct. 2024
  • For polar explorers, the most common malady wasn’t scurvy or starvation.
    — David James, Anchorage Daily News, 26 Sep. 2020
  • Mariners’ work was hard, dirty, and dangerous, and diets were deficient in vitamins; scurvy was endemic on long-range voyages.
    — James Belich, Fortune, 22 Jan. 2023
  • Smallpox was six to seven times more prevalent among black soldiers than white, scurvy was five times higher, while lung inflammation and bronchial diseases were two to five times higher.
    — Ilene Raymond Rush, Philly.com, 22 Mar. 2018
  • Along with violent seasickness, passengers suffered from fever, dysentery, boils, scurvy, mouth rot, rat bites, and lice so copious that they could be scraped off the body.
    — Dorothy Wickenden, The New Yorker, 30 Oct. 2023
  • In the ancient world, would-be surgeons sometimes used primitive drills or saws on people, and even a child, with brain traumas, scurvy or intracranial infection, sometimes killing them.
    — Matt Hrodey, Discover Magazine, 23 Feb. 2023
  • Though vitamin C wouldn’t be discovered until the 20th century, naval doctors only knew that daily rations of lemon or lime juice helped to curb scurvy symptoms.
    — Kevin Hopper, idahostatesman, 13 June 2017
  • Left untreated, scurvy, the vitamin C deficiency that plagued sailors for centuries, can eventually cause osteoporosis in some places and unusual bone growth in others.
    — Kiona N. Smith, Ars Technica, 6 July 2020
  • The squadron immediately ran into trouble when typhus and then scurvy, a grotesque disease of Vitamin C deficiency, struck down the majority of the crew.
    — Mary Ann Gwinn, Los Angeles Times, 14 Apr. 2023
  • Numerous factors are potentially fuelling a scurvy resurgence, notably nutrient-deficient diets.
    — Richard Windsor, The Week Uk, theweek, 24 Oct. 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'scurvy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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