adj.
Pronunciation: ' sha-b ē
Function: adjective
Inflected Form: shab · bi · er ; -est
Etymology: obsolete English shab a low fellow
Date: 1669
1 : clothed with worn or seedy garments <a shabby hobo>
2 a : threadbare and faded from wear <a shabby sofa> b : ill-kept : DILAPIDATED <a shabby neighborhood>
3 a : MEAN , DESPICABLE , CONTEMPTIBLE <must feel shabby ⋯ because of his compromises ― Nat Hentoff> b : UNGENEROUS , UNFAIR <laments the shabby way in which this country often treated a poet ― Paul Engle> c : inferior in quality < shabby reasoning>
– shab · bi · ly \ ' sha-b ə -l ē \ adverb
– shab · bi · ness \ ' sha-b ē -n ə s \ noun