as in dilapidated
showing signs of advanced wear and tear and neglect
changed into an old flannel shirt and a scrubby pair of jeans to clean out the garage
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Recent Examples of scrubby
While much of the Yucatan peninsula is covered by rain forest, the landscape designers improved on nature here creating a jungle that is less scrubby than the real thing and instead planted with dramatic Mexican fan palms and other tropical trees that create a solid green wall.
—
John Newton,
Condé Nast Traveler,
5 Feb. 2026
Banks are fringed with grasses and scrubby trees, as colorful hills slant down to the water.
—
Roger Naylor,
AZCentral.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Nothing on the surface of this scrubby expanse of western Nevada desert, overlooked by towering, craggy mountains, gives even a hint of what lies beneath.
—
Laura Paddison,
CNN Money,
12 Dec. 2025
Its clear, shallow waters were pleasant to wade into after lazing under one of the scrubby trees on the sand.
—
Lucy Handley,
CNBC,
15 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for scrubby
John Newton,
Condé Nast Traveler,
5 Feb. 2026
Banks are fringed with grasses and scrubby trees, as colorful hills slant down to the water.
—
Roger Naylor,
AZCentral.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Nothing on the surface of this scrubby expanse of western Nevada desert, overlooked by towering, craggy mountains, gives even a hint of what lies beneath.
—
Laura Paddison,
CNN Money,
12 Dec. 2025
Its clear, shallow waters were pleasant to wade into after lazing under one of the scrubby trees on the sand.
—
Lucy Handley,
CNBC,
15 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for scrubby
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scrubby
Adjective
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Sixteen children from the same family who were rescued from a dilapidated home in rural Ohio were living in wretched conditions with human waste all around, confined to just one room over much of the past four years, authorities said Wednesday.
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The parents and grandparents of 16 children found living in a dilapidated house in southern Ohio were arraigned Wednesday on more than a dozen felony child endangerment charges, officials said.
Adjective
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Underdog startups and neglected divisions tell similar stories.
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Cinematographer Guillermo Garza shoots neglected settings like fine art, embracing the grime.
Cite this Entry
“Scrubby.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scrubby. Accessed 2 Jul. 2026.
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