shabby
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English 5++LDOCE 5++shab·by /ˈʃæbi/ ●○○ adjective 1 CONDITION/STATE OF somethingshabby clothes, places, or objects are untidy and in bad condition because they have been used for a long time 肮脏破旧的 Hugh’s jacket was old and shabby. 休的夹克衫又旧又破。 a shabby little restaurant 一家肮脏的小餐馆2 CONDITION/STATE OF somethingwearing clothes that are old and worn 衣衫褴褛的，衣着寒酸的 a shabby tramp 一个衣衫褴褛的流浪汉3 UNFAIR old-fashionedUNKIND unfair and unkind 不公平的；不仁慈的 a shabby trick 卑鄙的花招 —shabbily adverb —shabbiness noun [uncountable]
Examples from the Corpus
shabby• After this, Tate Britain at Millbank feels cramped, parsimonious and a bit shabby.• By then, of course, it was totally shabby.• She wore shabby black clothes, with holes in the elbows of her jacket.• John was standing in the doorway in his shabby blue suit.• Politically, it was essential last summer to distance the government from what had clearly been a shabby episode.• Much to the consternation of the operators, Humphrey's shabby figure would appear and then disappear into high-speed machinery.• shabby hotel rooms• Solid provincial comfort, a little shabby now, but solid.• a shabby old man• a shabby suit• The villages and towns they passed through were shabby where buildings had long since been left to decay.• At 29 Howard's Avenue the builder's skip was still outside and the rusty scaffolding blinded its shabby windows.Origin shabby (1600-1700) shab “scab, worthless man” ((11-19 centuries)), from Old English sceabb “scab”shab·by adjectiveChineseSyllable
are untidy places, or clothes, Corpus shabby objects
shabby
shab‧by /ˈʃæbi/
adjective
Hugh’s jacket was old and shabby.
a shabby little restaurant
2. wearing clothes that are old and worn:
a shabby tramp
3. old-fashioned unfair and unkind:
a shabby trick
—shabbily adverb
—shabbiness noun [uncountable]
■ in bad condition
▪in (a) bad/terrible/awful condition (also in a bad state especially British English) if something is in bad condition, it is damaged, dirty, not working properly, etc: The road was in a very bad condition. | The inspectors said the bridge was in a bad state and potentially dangerous.
▪shabby used especially about clothes, furniture, or buildings that are in bad condition because they are old and have been used a lot: His clothes were shabby and ill-fitting. | They lived in a shabby one-room apartment.
▪tattered used about clothes or books that are old and torn: The old man clutched a tattered copy of ‘War and Peace’. | The shirt was now tattered beyond recognition.
▪dilapidated used about a building that is in very bad condition because it has not been looked after: He shared a dilapidated house with five other people. | The hotel looked slightly dilapidated.
▪run-down used about a building or area that is in bad condition, especially because the people who live there do not have enough money to look after it properly: He found lodgings at a run-down motel. | We lived in a run-down part of the city.
▪derelict used about something such as a house or piece of land that is in very bad condition, because it has been empty for a very long time: In the middle of town is a derelict building that used to be the school. | The land behind the factory is stony and derelict.
▪battered used about something that is old and in bad condition because it has been used a lot and treated roughly: There was nothing in his office except for a few battered chairs. | Alex and Lisa used to drive around town in a battered old Fiat Uno.
▪rickety used about furniture and other structures that are in such bad condition that they look as if they would break if you tried to use them: The staircase was old and rickety. | They sat around the card table on rickety old chairs. | a rickety bamboo fence
▪clapped-out British English informal, beat-up American English informal [usually before noun] used about a vehicle or machine that is so old that it does not work properly: She drives an old beat-up Ford. | He was using a clapped-out old typewriter.
▪be falling apart especially spoken if something is falling apart, it is gradually breaking into pieces, because it is old or badly made: I need some new shoes. These are falling apart.
▪be on its last legs informal if a vehicle or machine is on its last legs, it has been used so much and is in such bad condition that you will soon not be able to use it any more: The washing machine was on its last legs.
▪have seen better days informal if something has seen better days, it is not in as good condition as it was: The carpets, curtains, and cushions had all seen better days but still looked quite pretty. | She lived in an old Victorian house that had certainly seen better days.
shab‧by /ˈʃæbi/
adjective Date: 1600-1700
Origin: shab 'scab, worthless man' (11-19 centuries), from Old English sceabb 'scab'
1. shabby clothes, places, or objects are untidy and in bad condition because they have been used for a long time:Origin: shab 'scab, worthless man' (11-19 centuries), from Old English sceabb 'scab'
2. wearing clothes that are old and worn:
3. old-fashioned unfair and unkind:
—shabbily adverb
—shabbiness noun [uncountable]
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