Shabby and Threadbare

Shabby

Shabby adjective - Showing signs of advanced wear and tear and neglect.
Usage example: shabby wallpaper that was peeling from the walls

Threadbare is a synonym for shabby in scruffy topic. In some cases you can use "Threadbare" instead an adjective "Shabby", when it comes to topics like better, used, worn, broken-down. popular alternative

Nearby Word: shabbily

Threadbare

Threadbare adjective - Showing signs of advanced wear and tear and neglect.
Usage example: bought a threadbare couch at a garage sale

Shabby is a synonym for threadbare in worn topic. You can use "Shabby" instead an adjective "Threadbare", if it concerns topics such as better, used, decrepit, scruffy. popular alternative

Both words in one sentence

  • One of the Demons of Ignorance in The Phantom Tollbooth is the Threadbare Excuse, a shabby little fellow who seems to like latching on to someone and muttering these into their ear.
    Source: Lame Excuse
Cite this Source
Threadbare and Shabby. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 15, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/shabby/threadbare
Shabby & Threadbare. N.p., 2016. Web. 15 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/shabby/threadbare>.
Threadbare or Shabby. 2016. Accessed August 15, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/shabby/threadbare.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "shabby" and "threadbare" have occurred on timeline