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Synonyms

crappy

American  
[krap-ee] / ˈkræp i /

adjective

Slang: Sometimes Vulgar.
crappier, comparative crappiest superlative
  1. extremely bad, unpleasant, or inferior; lousy.

    crappy weather.

  2. nasty, humiliating, insulting, or unfair.

    What a crappy thing to say about anyone!

  3. cheaply made or done; shoddy.

    a crappy job.


Usage

What does crappy mean? Crappy means lousy, unpleasant, nasty, inferior, or poorly made. Crappy is a slang word. It is the adjective form of the noun crap. Because the literal meaning of crap is excrement (poop), it is sometimes considered vulgar. Though crappy rarely refers to excrement, it is still sometimes considered a mild form of profanity (a mild curse word). Crappy is always used negatively to describe unpleasant things (like a bad day) or things that don’t meet expectations or are considered inferior (like a poorly made product).

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Adjectives

Etymology

Origin of crappy

An Americanism dating back to 1840–50; crap 1 + -y 1

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

“With this economy, and how crappy things are, you got two people trying to give 100%,” said Gilliam.

From The Wall Street Journal Jun. 19, 2026

This tournament is less about sportsmanship and athletic excellence than about pushing crappy beer and extortionate credit cards?

From Salon Jun. 11, 2026

Those avocado green appliances, Formica countertops, and linoleum floors were just as crappy as they appear in those sitcom reruns.

From Barron's Mar. 14, 2026

“The young kids go for the other stuff, the crappy sugary drinks. For us older people, we just do it out of convenience,” she said.

From Slate Dec. 22, 2025

“Then why do I feel so crappy, Chuck? Wanna answer me that?”

From "The Maze Runner" by James Dashner

Add cooked green peppers to anything, and you have a new, crappier dish.

From Washington Post Aug. 12, 2021

“The truth is, recycling still is too expensive and gives crappier products,” says Banholzer, now at UW.

From Science Magazine Jul. 1, 2021

Did the worst five people in America do all five movements with perfect feeling and open a portal to an even crappier dimension than the one we’re already living in?

From Salon Jan. 7, 2017

Like the other, crappier schools in its athletic conference, Princeton is party to a tradition dating to the Gay ’90s.

From Slate Sep. 16, 2013

The loans that were being made to actual human beings only grew crappier, but, bizarrely, the price of insuring them—the price of buying credit default swaps—fell.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis

“Bless her soul, she read some of the crappiest things ever,” Raiff said.

From New York Times Jun. 17, 2022

Now, I do not know for sure if this would be the crappiest parental leave program in the entire world.

From Slate Oct. 22, 2021

“There have been so many people that have supported us through the crappiest year ever,” Almirola said.

From Seattle Times Jul. 18, 2021

It's a really interesting study of human nature and how we thrive, even in the crappiest of circumstances.

From BBC Jan. 10, 2019

“Well, it’s my favorite book. And there were three copies. I thought nobody would miss the crappiest one.”

From "Orphan Train" by Christina Baker Kline

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