scabby

American  

[skab-ee] / ˈskæb i /

adjective

scabbier, scabbiest

1. covered with scabs; having many scabs.

2. consisting of scabs.

3. (of an animal or plant) having scab.

4. Informal. mean or contemptible.

   a scabby trick.

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scabby British  

/ ˈskæbɪ /

adjective

1. pathol having an area of the skin covered with scabs

2. obsolete pathol having scabies

3. informal despicable

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Other Word Forms

• scabbily adverb
• scabbiness noun

Etymology

Origin of scabby

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

Example Sentences

Some days were clean, and then some days he was scabby and flaking.

From Los Angeles Times

Something is genuinely off about the goings-on at the conference, from strange deaths and elevators that suddenly aren’t elevators, to a rash of scabby infections afflicting guests and the discovery of a subterranean tunnel.

From Los Angeles Times

"My daughter has a rash across her leg, which is scabby and itchy, and my eldest has anxiety and worries constantly about the mould."

From BBC

Their life together is tinged with the absence of Lily’s mother, who only occasionally appears, thin-armed and scabby.

From Los Angeles Times

"It was a busy weekend and there were a lot of people ready for a day out. There was me, absolutely stinking, wheeling this box and eating bits of scabby old sandwich."

From BBC