scabby

[ skab-ee ]

adjective

, scab·bi·er, scab·bi·est.

1. covered with scabs; having many scabs.
2. consisting of scabs.
3. (of an animal or plant) having scab.
4. Informal. mean or contemptible:

   a scabby trick.

scabby

/ ˈskæbɪ /

adjective

1. pathol having an area of the skin covered with scabs
2. obsolete.
   pathol having scabies
3. informal.
   despicable

Derived Forms

• ˈscabbily, adverb
• ˈscabbiness, noun

Other Words From

• scabbi·ly adverb
• scabbi·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of scabby¹

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

Example Sentences

Something is genuinely off about the goings-on at the conference, from strange deaths and elevators that suddenly aren’t elevators, to a rash of scabby infections afflicting guests and the discovery of a subterranean tunnel.

From Los Angeles Times

"My daughter has a rash across her leg, which is scabby and itchy, and my eldest has anxiety and worries constantly about the mould."

From BBC

Their life together is tinged with the absence of Lily’s mother, who only occasionally appears, thin-armed and scabby.

From Los Angeles Times

"It was a busy weekend and there were a lot of people ready for a day out. There was me, absolutely stinking, wheeling this box and eating bits of scabby old sandwich."

From BBC

Thus begins Jack’s odyssey through the last vestiges of New York’s scabby demimonde — the dives and drug corridors where he might find what he’s lost.

From Los Angeles Times