scurvy

Synonym Chooser

How is the word scurvy different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of scurvy are contemptible, despicable, pitiable, and sorry. While all these words mean "arousing or deserving scorn," scurvy adds to despicable an implication of arousing disgust.

a scurvy crew of hangers-on

When might contemptible be a better fit than scurvy?

The synonyms contemptible and scurvy are sometimes interchangeable, but contemptible may imply any quality provoking scorn or a low standing in any scale of values.

a contemptible liar

When can despicable be used instead of scurvy?

The words despicable and scurvy can be used in similar contexts, but despicable may imply utter worthlessness and usually suggests arousing an attitude of moral indignation.

a despicable crime

When would pitiable be a good substitute for scurvy?

The words pitiable and scurvy are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, pitiable applies to what inspires mixed contempt and pity.

a pitiable attempt at tragedy

When could sorry be used to replace scurvy?

In some situations, the words sorry and scurvy are roughly equivalent. However, sorry may stress pitiable inadequacy or may suggest wretchedness or sordidness.

this rattletrap is a sorry excuse for a car

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of scurvy Perhaps best known as a immune-system boost or antidote to scurvy, vitamin C has been found to rejuvenate aging skin by reactivating genes responsible for cell growth. New Atlas, 6 July 2025 The latest research indicates that the men split into groups sometime after April 1848, with some parties surviving longer than others but all ultimately dying of starvation, scurvy, exposure, physical exhaustion and chronic illnesses, among other causes. Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 19 May 2025 William and his assistants were nonetheless able to build solid pillars of data, mass death broken down into discrete numerals to represent sexes, ages, locations, seasons, years, and causes of mortality, which included starvation, scurvy, dysentery, cholera, typhus, and relapsing fever. Fintan O'Toole, The New Yorker, 10 Mar. 2025 In the Age of Sail, mercury was used on ships to treat fever, scurvy, constipation, and more, often in the form of calomel, or mercurous chloride. Sallie Tisdale, Harper's Magazine, 2 Dec. 2024 See All Example Sentences for scurvy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scurvy
Adjective
  • Another main issue is that the power grind itself now being the endgame is no longer a good motivator to play, nor is the Tier system with 3s not much different than 4s or 5s, and all past weapons being somewhat lame now outside of that system entirely.
    Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025
  • Paine proposed a lump sum payment of £15 (£2,306 in 2025) to everyone reaching the age of twenty-one and a £10 (£1,537 in 2025) annual pension for the blind and lame, as well as for those fifty and older.
    Matthew Wills, JSTOR Daily, 7 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • The pitiful screaming of surviving family members can be heard.
    Paul Tilsley, FOXNews.com, 12 Sep. 2025
  • As del Toro sees it, Frankenstein’s pitiful creation has been cursed with life, cannot be killed (even bullets don’t stop him) and must face the same existential crisis that confronts us all.
    Peter Debruge, Variety, 30 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • Nobody under 6 feet had climbed the highest mountain in American sports — winning the biggest game in the biggest league from the most important and glamorous position — and Wilson was one wretched play away from doing it twice.
    Ian O'Connor, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2025
  • Soldiers stationed in the area remarked on the wretched smell of decomposition well into 1917, a year after the battle ended.
    Michael Jerome Plunkett September 5, Literary Hub, 5 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Here, the median sale price of a home is about $137,000—one of the cheapest price tags in the country.
    Giulia Carbonaro, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Sep. 2025
  • Health insurers plan to raise rates, pointing to rising health care costs, tariffs on prescription drugs and medical device imports, and the possible expiration of premium tax credits instituted during former President Joe Biden's administration that made plans cheaper.
    Sarah Volpenhein, jsonline.com, 18 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • One said bump is a particularly nasty, literal wig-snatching fight between Vida and Chi-Chi.
    Jen Juneau, PEOPLE, 11 Sep. 2025
  • In a nutshell, people are easily irritated and inclined to get caught up in nasty power struggles because they’re entrenched in their own views.
    Georgia Nicols, Denver Post, 10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • The gentle, fragrance-free formula leaves even the dirtiest of clothes spotless.
    Sophia Panych, Allure, 16 Sep. 2025
  • Ahead of Lipa’s arrival the team was busy setting up trays of extra dirty martinis, her preferred drink.
    Leigh Nordstrom, Footwear News, 16 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Not everyone is a fan of cats, but students are required to not be mean to them.
    Jane Arraf, NPR, 17 Sep. 2025
  • And people was just saying very mean things about me.
    Taijuan Moorman, USA Today, 17 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • This behavior is disgusting and they should be fired.
    Zach LaChance, The Washington Examiner, 13 Sep. 2025
  • And yet … those conversations are also entertainingly provocative, and they’re accompanied by some of the scariest and most disgusting scenes the series has delivered up to now.
    Noel Murray, Vulture, 10 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Scurvy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scurvy. Accessed 20 Sep. 2025.

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