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 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 Numerous factors are potentially fuelling a scurvy resurgence, notably nutrient-deficient diets. Richard Windsor, The Week Uk, theweek, 24 Oct. 2024 However, the good news is that scurvy is easy to combat and symptoms can be alleviated in as little as 24 hours. New Atlas, 22 Oct. 2024 Pink even filmed a music video for the track, in which she is dressed as a pirate while singing about scurvy complications. Joey Nolfi, EW.com, 6 Oct. 2023 See All Example Sentences for scurvy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scurvy
Adjective
  • As holidays go, however, Flag Day can feel a bit lame.
    Kevin Fisher-Paulson, San Francisco Chronicle, 8 June 2021
  • My 11-year-old loved watching the pups roll balls and play a giant floor piano, but for non-dog owners (guilty as charged), parts of the series—like dressing dogs in little hats and outfits for a Parisian fashion show—feel lame.
    Tim Neville, Outside Online, 23 Nov. 2020
Adjective
  • For better or worse, high-end eco-resorts of this type tend to focus on hyper-local ingredients often grown in a pitiful little garden behind the kitchen.
    Christopher Cameron, Robb Report, 30 May 2025
  • From ’01 to ’20, the Knicks played in only 30 postseason games, posting a pitiful 9-21 record.
    Rohan Nadkarni, NBC news, 18 May 2025
Adjective
  • Fernandes, who’s been at Old Trafford since 2020, chalked up 19 goals and 20 assists in all competitions during a wretched 2024/25 campaign for the Red Devils.
    Henry Flynn, Forbes.com, 31 May 2025
  • Fair enough — the club is playing wretched baseball, and some responsibility for that goes to the manager.
    Tim Britton, New York Times, 13 May 2025
Adjective
  • This means some fans will be watching Messi for as little as $4, which is a far cry from the cheapest seats being cast at $349 when the draw was made in December.
    Adam Crafton, New York Times, 14 June 2025
  • In January, the cheapest seat at Hard Rock Stadium cost $230 on Ticketmaster, which is FIFA's official ticket sales platform.
    Michael Lewis, Forbes.com, 13 June 2025
Adjective
  • And some erratic vibrations were detected at points last week as the stark outperformance of year-to-date laggards over the top 2025 performers prompted some comparisons to the nasty momentum-stock reversal of February and March that upset the market well before the tariff panic.
    Michael Santoli, CNBC, 14 June 2025
  • She quickly gets embroiled in a nasty war of blackmail and stalking, and with the help of an unscrupulous life coach, matters escalate way too far.
    K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 13 June 2025
Adjective
  • Washing Machine Cleaner Your clothes aren’t the only things that get dirty in the laundry room.
    Lauren David, Southern Living, 13 June 2025
  • The effort is big business with organized, managed, paid people doing the dirty work.
    Carolyn Rosenblatt, Forbes.com, 13 June 2025
Adjective
  • Out on the mean streets of O.C., the coming changes have sparked some trepidation.
    Teri Sforza, Oc Register, 11 June 2025
  • Changing vaccination guidelines, ever-evolving variants and strains, threats to health insurance and more mean COVID is still very much a regular conversation on the lips of lawmakers, regulators and the general public.
    Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 5 June 2025
Adjective
  • Conrad wraps the conversation by being incredibly disgusting about Bella’s nether regions.
    Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 1 June 2025
  • For the next 200 years, snails only appeared in Parisian cookbooks alongside an apology for including such a disgusting ingredient.
    Garritt C. Van Dyk, Smithsonian Magazine, 29 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Scurvy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scurvy. Accessed 19 Jun. 2025.

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