scrubby

[ skruhb-ee ]

/ ˈskrʌb i /

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See synonyms for scrubby on Thesaurus.com

adjective, scrub·bi·er, scrub·bi·est.

low or stunted, as trees.

consisting of or covered with scrub, stunted trees, etc.

undersized or inferior, as animals.

wretched; shabby.

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Origin of scrubby

First recorded in 1745–55; scrub² + -y¹

OTHER WORDS FROM scrubby

scrub·bi·ly, adverbscrub·bi·ness, noun

Words nearby scrubby

scrubbed, scrubber, scrub-bird, scrubboard, scrub brush, scrubby, scrubdown, scrub fowl, scrub jay, scrubland, scrub nurse

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use scrubby in a sentence

He found it “truly an exceptional sight,” but one located in “scrubby country,” something to be sketched and remembered, but “not really worth a second trip.”
Rekindling the wonder of Natural Bridge, once a testament to American grandeur|Philip Kennicott|June 17, 2021|Washington Post
“What we’re seeing is developers are taking advantage of the fact that the big stuff and the scrubby stuff have been averaged together,” Badgley said.
The climate solution actually adding millions of tons of CO2 into the atmosphere|James Temple, Lisa Song|April 29, 2021|MIT Technology Review
There is one scrubby little orange kitten who is arguably the luckiest creature on Earth.
‘Bones’ Creator Hart Hanson on Working with Michael Clarke Duncan|Hart Hanson|September 4, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Why has so much attention been given to this tiny, miserable village and its scrubby little patch of land?
Susiya: A Human Rights Calamity|Kathleen Peratis|August 9, 2012|DAILY BEAST

I pulled up and glanced about, but the clumps of scrubby timber were just plentiful enough to cut off a clear view of the flat.
Raw Gold|Bertrand W. Sinclair
The popping of dry, scrubby timber warned us that our position would soon be untenable.
Raw Gold|Bertrand W. Sinclair
Kangaroos and other animals were seldom or never found there: they abounded usually in the more scrubby country.
The Adventures of Louis de Rougemont|Louis de Rougemont
A scrubby looking white mare who was being shod turned her head and stared at Ebenezer and his small companion.
The Tale of Pony Twinkleheels|Arthur Scott Bailey
Just here the road crossed a ravine full of boulders and rough scrubby growth, whereas beyond it was bare and open.
Fair Margaret|H. Rider Haggard

British Dictionary definitions for scrubby

scrubby

/ (ˈskrʌbɪ) /

adjective -bier or -biest

covered with or consisting of scrub

(of trees or vegetation) stunted in growth

British informal messy

Derived forms of scrubby

scrubbiness, noun

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

scrubby

Origin of scrubby

OTHER WORDS FROM scrubby

Words nearby scrubby

Words related to scrubby

How to use scrubby in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for scrubby

Derived forms of scrubby