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Synonyms

grabby

American  
[grab-ee] / ˈgræb i /

adjective

grabbier, grabbiest
  1. tending to grab or grasp for gain; greedy.

    a grabby ticket scalper.

  2. Slang. provoking immediate attention or interest; arresting.

    a poster with some really grabby artwork.

  3. having a capacity for or tendency toward holding, grasping, or sticking.

    Car tires that are too grabby waste fuel.


grabby British  
/ ˈɡræbɪ /

adjective

  1. greedy or selfish

  2. direct, stimulating, or attention-grabbing

    grabbier opening paragraphs

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of grabby

First recorded in 1905–10; grab 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 “Sheriff Country,” the most popular series on Bruckheimer’s CBS roster, his team spins a grabby tale for 2026 while grinding out the network quota of a 20-episode season.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 7, 2026

The hotel’s dilapidation — to say nothing of its grubby, grabby, mostly male clientele — is a far cry from the yacht parties the women were recently enjoying in Sydney.

From New York Times ● Oct. 5, 2023

"The effect is congruent with the disappearance of instrumental intros in the grabby era of streaming, but it's also that of a person wanting to get something off their chest."

From BBC ● May 5, 2023

What Blanchard’s music forgoes in terms of a catchy tune or grabby hook, it makes up for in rich, indulgent, evocative textures and exquisite management of tension and release.

From Washington Post ● Apr. 16, 2023

I have known my share of peculiar, difficult, nervous, grabby people, but I’ve never encountered any genuinely, consistently detestable human beings in all my life.

From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas

Writer-director Paul Shoulberg effectively captures the spooky, “Shining”-like vibe of Koryta’s story; although given the rich source material, this movie should be a lot grabbier than it is.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 25, 2022

And I’m so sorry you had to rehome your dog as your baby got grabbier.

From Slate ● Nov. 5, 2018

Certainly Earthquake's phony vibes are grabbier than any of the writing or acting, which is perfunctory even by the rather primitive standards of the disaster genre.

From Time Magazine Archive

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