mangy

[ meyn-jee ]

adjective

, man·gi·er, man·gi·est.

1. having, caused by, or like the mange.
2. contemptible; mean:

   a mangy trick.

3. squalid; shabby:

   a mangy little suburb.

mangy

/ ˈmeɪndʒɪ /

adjective

1. having or caused by mange

   a mangy dog

2. scruffy or shabby

   a mangy carpet

3. informal.
   stingy or miserly

   a mangy reward

Derived Forms

• ˈmanginess, noun
• ˈmangily, adverb

Other Words From

• mangi·ly adverb
• mangi·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of mangy¹

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

Example Sentences

He detonates narrative warfare wherever he goes, so it’s difficult to decipher what is planted to create spectacle to feed the mangy cult and what is a true trash fire of a human.

From Salon

In front of us was a derelict baseball diamond and mangy grass fields.

From Los Angeles Times

The women wear black slips, combat boots and mangy fur coats; the men, gray suits and conservatively wide ties.

From New York Times

The two people getting out of it didn’t resemble Bonnie and Clyde one bit: they were a middle-aged man with a potbelly and a young girl carrying a mangy cat.

From Literature

The brick stairs knifed past a garden, where lizards darted among eroded stone sculptures and palm trees wore their dead fronds like mangy beards.

From Los Angeles Times