SCABBY Synonyms: 79 Similar and Opposite Words

scabby

adjective

ˈska-bē

Definition of scabby

as in lame

arousing or deserving of one's loathing and disgust that's a scabby trick to play on someone trying to help

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of scabby One of the most common is apple scab, which is a fungal disease that causes dark, scabby spots to appear on the leaves and fruit. — Helena Madden, Martha Stewart, 31 May 2026 Wheat can be treated to remove scabby kernels. — Tom W. Allen, The Conversation, 12 Nov. 2025 Darken and thicken it for old and scabby goop. — Mark Hay, Popular Science, 9 Oct. 2025 There were the same cars on the blocks, the clotheslines, and the scabby back yards. — Jennifer Wilson, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2025 As buzzy, crowd-pleasing indie comedies got snatched up for millions, the festival's scabby mutant black sheep went untouched, until horror-specific streaming service Shudder stepped in. — Charles Bramesco, Esquire, 20 July 2017 People walk up and try to grab a sample with dirty, bleeding, scabby hands not realizing that other people will also be sampling that food. — Abigail Van Buren, Twin Cities, 31 Mar. 2017

Recent Examples of Synonyms for scabby

Adjective

Poetry gets left behind by the exigency of character development or, in the movie’s self-defeating logic, because the art form doesn’t really matter and is only a lame excuse for people who won’t take responsibility and grow up.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2026
Blumenthal hopes to see action on KOSA in the lame-duck session.

— Lisa Hagen, Hartford Courant, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of lame

Adjective

In the world of sports broadcasting, ESPN and Buck did Aikman dirty.

— Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Oct. 2026
Now Gizelle has to decide whether that person is her longtime friend in real life or the woman who has spent the past several seasons doing much of her dirty work.

— Shamira Ibrahim, Vulture, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of dirty

Adjective

The best seats will be the cheapest There is a wide spread in the available prices for tickets to see U2 on their 2027 tour.

— Jim Edwards, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026
The federal government was preparing to change its rules on low-value imports, threatening her ability to purchase cheaper prescription medications for blood thinning and heart failure from Canada.

— Andrew R. Chow, Time, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of cheap

Adjective

With American Family Field rocking, Ashby reared back and threw a nasty curve that Díaz tried to hold up on.

— Jacob Lev, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2026
Of course, there has been some criticism of this plan, as France is experiencing some pretty nasty civil unrest at the moment, but the game will go ahead, with the Saints having been in the country for a few days already.

— Matt Reigle OutKick, FOXNews.com, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of nasty

Adjective

Gavroche and the insurgents of 1832—the wretched who became rioters—were ready to die defending a particular vision of the republic against the July Monarchy and the usurper Louis-Philippe.

— Ollivier Pourriol, Vanity Fair, 19 Oct. 2026
The Vatican typically allows criminal investigations to play out before initiating canonical trials so as not to interfere, and that is especially so now in Australia, after the church's wretched legacy there of abuse and cover-up.

— ABC News, ABC News, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of wretched

Adjective

Comparing the administration's fight to protect women and women's spaces from males to rape, is utterly disgusting and actually devalues those atrocities and crimes against actual women.

— Jon Root OutKick, FOXNews.com, 23 Oct. 2026
The squad has not been beefed up at all after a shameful and disgusting transfer window.

— Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of disgusting

Adjective

Or the sexologist who makes a mean flan and knows how to push people’s buttons in ‘The Invite’?

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 27 Oct. 2026
Some of the interactions are so sweet, and then some of them are a little bit more embarrassing or aggressive or mean.

— Raechal Shewfelt, Entertainment Weekly, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of mean

Browse Nearby Words

scab

scabby

scabrous

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“Scabby.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scabby. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of scabby

adjective

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