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scruffy

[skruhf-ee] / ˈskrʌf i /


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

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Officer Britney Myers spotted the scruffy critter and climbed down a manhole after her, as seen in video from the agency.

From Los Angeles Times Aug. 13, 2026

Indiana is in many ways a liminal state, the place you pass through between scruffy Cleveland and business-like Chicago, with little to inspire romantic odes to home.

From Salon Aug. 9, 2026

The scruffy schoolboy-look was rectified by an anonymous figure inadvertently stealing the situation's authority.

From BBC Feb. 15, 2026

"It was pretty tough this morning. Feel like I hit some pretty scruffy golf shots, which in some ways is to be expected."

From Barron's Jan. 22, 2026

Soon we stop at a scruffy building, to bathe and put on dry clothing.

From "Beast Rider" by Tony Johnston & María Elena Fontanot de Rhoads

As I drove there, the well-kept strip malls of Garden Grove transitioned to scruffier ones on the Stanton side.

From Los Angeles Times May 28, 2026

“Drive-Away Dolls” might suggest a return to a scruffier sensibility.

From Seattle Times Feb. 20, 2024

They pit establishment power against a new, scruffier and perhaps more vital power.

From Washington Post Mar. 25, 2023

The mug shot posted by the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office appears to show the same person as in the shot posted on Mr. Jurgens’ LinkedIn account, although he looks considerably scruffier in the arrest photo.

From Washington Times Mar. 6, 2023

“Over time, they got scruffier and more hodgepodge” he said.

From New York Times Nov. 16, 2022

She remembered being staggered by the size and opulence of the home, while Sullivan was at his desk "wearing the scruffiest tracksuit".

From BBC Jun. 8, 2026

In the early days of their rise, the Stones were the most notorious, scruffiest band of hit-makers in the U.K., where one tabloid headline famously asked, “Would you let your daughter marry a Rolling Stone?”

From Los Angeles Times Jun. 18, 2019

Wild” has been on the air since 2006, he insists he hired a publicist last year “so I don’t have to do P.R.,” and that he’s “still always the scruffiest person at any meeting.”

From New York Times Feb. 24, 2012

For an hour and 13 minutes the converted Russian tuna boat chased one of the mightiest ships of the Seventh Fleet; in turn, it was chased by one of the scruffiest vessels in the U.S.

From Time Magazine Archive

She looked down and saw the scruffiest face looking back, a small dog that apparently had been assembled from leftover dog parts.

From "Caterpillar Summer" by Gillian McDunn




Vocabulary lists containing scruffy


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