/ ˈʃæbi; NAmE / adjective ( shab·bier , shab·bi·est )
1.
( of buildings, clothes, objects, etc. ) in poor condition because they have been used a lot
SYN scruffy :
She wore shabby old jeans and a T-shirt.
2.
( of a person ) badly dressed in clothes that have been worn a lot
SYN scruffy :
The old man was shabby and unkempt.
3.
( of behaviour ) unfair or unreasonable
SYN shoddy :
She tried to make up for her shabby treatment of him.
► shab·bily / ˈʃæbɪli; NAmE / adverb :
shabbily dressed
I think you were very shabbily treated.
► shab·bi·ness noun [ U ]
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WORD ORIGIN
mid 17th cent.: from dialect shab scab (from a Germanic base meaning itch) + -y .