scabby

[skab-ee]

adjective

scabbier, scabbiest 

1. covered with scabs; having many scabs.

2. consisting of scabs.

3. (of an animal or plant) having scab.

4. Informal.,  mean or contemptible.

   a scabby trick.

scabby

/ ˈskæbɪ /

adjective

1. pathol having an area of the skin covered with scabs

2. obsolete,  pathol having scabies

3. informal,  despicable

Other Word Forms

• scabbily adverb
• scabbiness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of scabby¹

First recorded in 1520–30; scab + -y ¹

Example Sentences

Some days were clean, and then some days he was scabby and flaking.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Something is genuinely off about the goings-on at the conference, from strange deaths and elevators that suddenly aren’t elevators, to a rash of scabby infections afflicting guests and the discovery of a subterranean tunnel.

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"My daughter has a rash across her leg, which is scabby and itchy, and my eldest has anxiety and worries constantly about the mould."

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Their life together is tinged with the absence of Lily’s mother, who only occasionally appears, thin-armed and scabby.

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"It was a busy weekend and there were a lot of people ready for a day out. There was me, absolutely stinking, wheeling this box and eating bits of scabby old sandwich."

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