crappy

American  

[krap-ee] / ˈkræp i /

adjective

Slang: Sometimes Vulgar.

crappier, crappiest

1. extremely bad, unpleasant, or inferior; lousy.

   crappy weather.

2. nasty, humiliating, insulting, or unfair.

   What a crappy thing to say about anyone!

3. cheaply made or done; shoddy.

   a crappy job.

---

Usage

What does crappy mean? Crappy means lousy, unpleasant, nasty, inferior, or poorly made. Crappy is a slang word. It is the adjective form of the noun crap. Because the literal meaning of crap is excrement (poop), it is sometimes considered vulgar. Though crappy rarely refers to excrement, it is still sometimes considered a mild form of profanity (a mild curse word). Crappy is always used negatively to describe unpleasant things (like a bad day) or things that don’t meet expectations or are considered inferior (like a poorly made product).

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• crappiness
  noun

Inflected Forms

Adjectives

• crappier
  comparative
• crappiest
  superlative

Etymology

Origin of crappy

An Americanism dating back to 1840–50; crap ¹ + -y ¹

Example Sentences

Half a lifetime ago, I had a crappy copyediting job that meant I had to drive for 90 minutes through traffic across the sprawling concrete wasteland of Phoenix.

From Salon • Jun. 15, 2026

Those avocado green appliances, Formica countertops, and linoleum floors were just as crappy as they appear in those sitcom reruns.

From Barron's • Mar. 14, 2026

If “you can get past the crappy winters here,” Bartelt said, “it’s way more affordable” than other parts of the country.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 3, 2026

So this is weird dicta in a random case that is trying to undo crappy but unfortunately enforceable doctrine.

From Slate • Dec. 30, 2025

Three stories of brick and steel and crappy people who judged everything because they thought they knew so much.

From "Time Bomb" by Joelle Charbonneau