1
as in aggressive
feeling or displaying eagerness to fight
she was a scrappy girl despite—or, perhaps, because of—her small size
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in controversial
given to arguing
a pair of scrappy movie critics who can never agree on anything
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of scrappy
Heinicke had a way of doing that on the field as a scrappy, overachieving underdog.
—
Armando Salguero Outkick, FOXNews.com, 8 May 2026
Named for Gary Webb, an investigative journalist who reported on an alleged CIA drug trafficking operation, WEBB invites users to imagine themselves as scrappy open-source intelligence researchers.
—Matthew N. Hannah, The Conversation, 8 May 2026
By the time Tim Darcy and Ben Stidworthy’s previous band, Ought, came to an end in 2021, the Montreal group had morphed from nervy, scrappy post-punk to grandiose art rock.
—David Glickman, Pitchfork, 7 May 2026
The scrappy underdogs who could have punched the Knicks in the mouth.
—Matt Moret, New York Times, 7 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for scrappy
Armando Salguero Outkick, FOXNews.com, 8 May 2026
Named for Gary Webb, an investigative journalist who reported on an alleged CIA drug trafficking operation, WEBB invites users to imagine themselves as scrappy open-source intelligence researchers.
—Matthew N. Hannah, The Conversation, 8 May 2026
By the time Tim Darcy and Ben Stidworthy’s previous band, Ought, came to an end in 2021, the Montreal group had morphed from nervy, scrappy post-punk to grandiose art rock.
—David Glickman, Pitchfork, 7 May 2026
The scrappy underdogs who could have punched the Knicks in the mouth.
—Matt Moret, New York Times, 7 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for scrappy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scrappy
Adjective
-
Gone was the meek servant child, replaced by a confident woman who remained composed during aggressive cross-examination.—
Yudhijit Bhattacharjee,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
-
The new reality finds those legacy players, with the single exception of Disney, playing defense as tech’s flywheel spins faster, and their pursuit of TV ad dollars becomes even more aggressive.—
Alex Weprin,
HollywoodReporter,
18 May 2026
Adjective
-
By then, Leonard Jeffries was one of the most controversial college professors in the country.—
Jason Zengerle,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
-
In his typical spare and deliberate style, Romanian director Cristian Mungiu has crafted yet another Palme d’Or-worthy film that fearlessly treads into controversial issues in our society but pointedly doesn’t take sides.—
Pete Hammond,
Deadline,
18 May 2026
Adjective
-
Analysts who followed Syria's civil war and militant groups in the region say ISIS was at one point a serious political rival to the more nationalist TIP.—
Emily Feng,
NPR,
17 May 2026
-
Al-Mainuki was born in 1982 in Mainok, or Mainuki, a village in Nigeria’s northeastern Borno, the heart of an insurgency crisis following the formation of the Boko Haram militant group around 2009.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
16 May 2026
Adjective
-
James Ward Thursday night’s California governor debate underscored just how unsettled — and contentious — the race has become, with candidates repeatedly clashing over crime, election integrity, reproductive rights, and the balance of power between state and local government.—
James Ward,
USA Today,
15 May 2026
-
The most contentious and controversial being some very pointed criticisms of Ole Miss, his former school.—
Ian Miller OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
15 May 2026
Adjective
-
And Roosevelt explained in his summer radio addresses of 1941 that if the Germans win the war, the United States becomes an island within the world, with hostile empires dominating most of the world’s landmass.—
David Frum,
The Atlantic,
20 May 2026
-
Steward filed a complaint with human resources on June 30, alleging a hostile work environment.—
Ben Wheeler
May 20,
Kansas City Star,
20 May 2026
Adjective
-
Colleges and universities nationwide continue to grapple with polemic issues associated with the fair treatment of individuals of differing backgrounds, political persuasions, and sexuality.—
Blake D. Morant,
Forbes.com,
28 Jan. 2026
-
This kind of depravity, licentiousness and polemical theatrics has no place on such a traditional and once wholesome presentation of the coming of a new year in our great nation and especially on the eve of the 250th anniversary of the greatest experiment in democracy and freedom in history.—
Letters to the Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
4 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
After resting Monday, the Padres will visit the feisty Milwaukee Brewers for a three-game series.—
Dennis Lin,
New York Times,
11 May 2026
-
Perhaps too feisty and brusque than some unfairly find acceptable in a woman.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
4 May 2026
Adjective
-
David Paul Morris / Bloomberg via Getty Images Are Americans finally starting to feel the strain of soaring gas prices and stubborn inflation?—
Elizabeth Robinson,
NBC news,
19 May 2026
-
Treasury yields have gone up in recent months as stubborn inflation reduces the likelihood of Fed rate cuts, Pisula notes, while geopolitical tensions add more long-term risk to rates.—
Tim Maxwell,
CBS News,
19 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Scrappy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scrappy. Accessed 23 May. 2026.
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