mangy

American  

[meyn-jee] / ˈmeɪn dʒi /

Sometimes mangey

adjective

mangier, mangiest

1. having, caused by, or like the mange.

2. contemptible; mean.

   a mangy trick.

3. squalid; shabby.

   a mangy little suburb.

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mangy British  

/ ˈmeɪndʒɪ /

adjective

1. having or caused by mange

   a mangy dog

2. scruffy or shabby

   a mangy carpet

3. informal stingy or miserly

   a mangy reward

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Other Word Forms

• mangily adverb
• manginess noun

Etymology

Origin of mangy

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

Explanation

Imagine something really disgusting — crusty, dirty, falling apart — you know, like zombie flesh. If it’s shoddy, gross, and really, really cruddy, it can be called mangy. If you want a really insulting adjective, you can’t do better than the word mangy. A mangy dog has a skin disease carried by mites that causes the animal to lose its hair and develop crusty patches on its body. Or, if you own a mangy sweater, it is probably threadbare and stained. As you can imagine, you should probably think twice before calling a person mangy!

Example Sentences

Besides, treating topical humor in the same way that a toothless, mangy mutt gums a dumpster bone is not the same as maintaining neutrality.

From Salon • Jul. 31, 2025

The women wear black slips, combat boots and mangy fur coats; the men, gray suits and conservatively wide ties.

From New York Times • May 21, 2023

The brick stairs knifed past a garden, where lizards darted among eroded stone sculptures and palm trees wore their dead fronds like mangy beards.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 13, 2023

A previous version of this article misstated the number of bears with mange in Virginia and the mangy bear situation in Maryland and West Virginia.

From Washington Post • Oct. 6, 2022

Kev walked over to an uneven patch of floorboards next to the fireplace, where a mangy dog lay sleeping.

From "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children" by Ransom Riggs