Synonyms

grabby

American

[grab-ee] / ˈgræb i /

adjective

grabbier, grabbiest

tending to grab or grasp for gain; greedy.

a grabby ticket scalper.
Slang. provoking immediate attention or interest; arresting.

a poster with some really grabby artwork.
having a capacity for or tendency toward holding, grasping, or sticking.

Car tires that are too grabby waste fuel.

grabby British

/ ˈɡræbɪ /

adjective

greedy or selfish
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.

Horvath’s campaign strategist, Hacopian, has referred to him as “a problem called Grabby Bob Hertzberg.”

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 5, 2022

I think you have two distinct categories of Grabby Gabbys here, with two distinct responses:

From Slate • May 11, 2018

“You’re welcome, Miss Grabby Hands. Aren’t you the science whiz? Don’t you know about forces and equal and opposite reaction and all that?”

From "Beauty Queens" by Libba Bray

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023