crappy
Americanadjective
-
crappier,
comparative
-
crappiest
superlative
-
extremely bad, unpleasant, or inferior; lousy.
crappy weather.
-
nasty, humiliating, insulting, or unfair.
What a crappy thing to say about anyone!
-
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
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:
Half a lifetime ago, I had a crappy copyediting job that meant I had to drive for 90 minutes through traffic across the sprawling concrete wasteland of Phoenix.
From Salon ● Jun. 15, 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
If “you can get past the crappy winters here,” Bartelt said, “it’s way more affordable” than other parts of the country.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 3, 2026
So this is weird dicta in a random case that is trying to undo crappy but unfortunately enforceable doctrine.
From Slate ● Dec. 30, 2025
I was annoyed that Drew had killed my moment with Elle with his own crappy love life.
From "Here to Stay" by Sara Farizan
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
Throughout my 20s, my father listened for hours over the phone as I whined about my crappy jobs and crappier love life.
From Slate ● Jun. 16, 2017
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
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
“There have been so many people that have supported us through the crappiest year ever,” Almirola said.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 18, 2021
Sorry, but I really cannot endorse this, the crappiest possible reboot of My Side of the Mountain.
From Slate ● May 26, 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
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
