mangy

[ meyn-jee ]

adjective

, man·gi·er, man·gi·est.

1. having, caused by, or like the mange.
2. contemptible; mean:

   a mangy trick.

3. squalid; shabby:

   a mangy little suburb.

mangy

/ 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

Derived Forms

• ˈmangily, adverb
• ˈmanginess, noun

Other Words From

• mangi·ly adverb
• mangi·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of mangy¹

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

Example Sentences

The boat docked, and here they came, loping out of the trees to cluster at the water’s edge, all mangy fur and narrowed eyes.

From Washington Post

With horror she had heard her brother addressed by a disreputable costermonger in a mangy fur cap, as "Old pal."

From Project Gutenberg

They are the old mangy bears that bother tourists, Jesse James bears, that they want to get rid of.

From Project Gutenberg

It was on the way to the Sally Mangy that this brangling had begun, and it ended jest as they were seating themselves.

From Project Gutenberg

But if they are careful, no harm comes from nursing a mangy dog, and I have never known of any one taking the disease.

From Project Gutenberg

The belligerent whine was enough to renew the identity of the mangy little larrikin whose couch on the sand he had shared.

From Project Gutenberg