scruffy

[skruhf-ee]

See more synonyms for scruffy on Thesaurus.com

adjective, scruff·i·er, scruff·i·est.

untidy; shabby.

Origin of scruffy

First recorded in 1650–60; scruff² + -y¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for scruffy

shabby, seedy, tattered, unkempt, threadbare, tacky, frowzy, mangy, messy, ragged, run-down, slovenly, untidy

Examples from the Web for scruffy

Contemporary Examples of scruffy

There are photos of what looks like a scruffy Californian kid in a T-shirt, taking a break from skateboarding.
The Dark Rock Star Fantasy of Saint Laurent’s Hedi Slimane
Liza Foreman
September 24, 2014
He looks like a dog from an Eastern European circus: a small, scruffy dog who you could imagine balancing on a red ball.
Ann Patchett: How I Write
Noah Charney
October 30, 2013
When she came to power in 1978, Britain was a dreary, dreary place: dingy, funereal, abashed, scruffy, feckless.
How Margaret Thatcher Transformed British Politics
Tunku Varadarajan
April 8, 2013
As for Big Bird, Sesame Street should restore the creature to its scruffy perfection no matter who wins the election.
Big Bird’s Big Gay Love Story: From Birth to the 2012 Presidential Race
Michael Daly
October 10, 2012
In the video, he is unshaven and scruffy, wearing a dark, padded jacket, and his voice is thick with emotion.
How the U.S. Is Struggling to Help Syria’s Opposition
Tara McKelvey
February 11, 2012

British Dictionary definitions for scruffy

scruffy

adjective scruffier or scruffiest

unkempt or shabby

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

Word Origin and History for scruffy

adj.

1650s, "covered with scurf," from scruff "dandruff, scurf" (late Old English variant of scurf) + -y (2). Generalized sense of "rough and dirty" is from 1871. Related: Scruffily; scruffiness.