scruffy

«scruffy» in Mova's school dictionary: Untidy and a bit dirty or worn out, about a person… — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 1 sentence of Mova's corpora that use it.

part of speech

adjective (scruffy, scruffier, scruffiest)

meaning for a pupil

1) Untidy and a bit dirty or worn out, about a person, clothes or a place. tree →

2) (of an animal) With messy, rough fur. tree →

sense in the lessons

In stories, a scruffy character might be poor, lazy, busy or simply relaxed — a scruffy dog is often lovable. In school, teachers may say «your uniform looks scruffy» (tuck your shirt in). Phrases: «scruffy clothes», «scruffy hair», «a scruffy little dog», «look scruffy».

examples

• His jumper was scruffy with holes in the elbows. tree →
• A scruffy little dog followed us home. tree →
• Tuck your shirt in — you look scruffy. tree →
• The garden looked scruffy after the winter. tree →
• Her handwriting was scruffy because she rushed. tree →
• The scruffy old teddy was still his favourite. tree →

note

Comparatives: scruffier, scruffiest. Informal but polite. Opposites: smart, neat, tidy. Similar: messy, shabby, untidy.

In the corpora

• On the way home from school a scruffy street dog starts trotting behind you.

Trees and pragmatics

Every meaning and example of «scruffy» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.