adj · name · noun · 6 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
UK, US:/ˈskɹʌf.i/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
Australian:/ˈskɹaf.i/
rhymes with -ʌfi
CMU ARPABET:S K R AH1 F IY0
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
adj
Meaning 1
Untidy in appearance; scrubby; shabby.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
A scruffy little dog came scampering down the road.
scruffy clothes
scruffy man
scruffy outfit
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
adj
Meaning 2
Scurfy.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
name
Meaning 3
A given name for a dog.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
noun
Meaning 4
An artificial intelligence researcher who believes that intelligence is too complicated (or computationally intractable) to be solved with the sorts of homogeneous system favoured by the "neats".
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: informal
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
5
noun
Meaning 5
An arctic fox.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: slang
Qualifier: Alaska
Examples
For quotations using this term, see Citations:scruffy.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
6
adjective satellite
Meaning 6
shabby and untidy- Mark Twain
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
a surge of ragged scruffy children
he was soiled and seedy and fragrant with gin
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: seedy
Antonyms: none provided
History
Etymology
Etymology tree English scruff Proto-Indo-European *-kos Proto-Germanic *-gaz Proto-West Germanic *-g Old English -iġ Middle English -y English -y English scruffy From scruff + -y.
From scruffy.
Across languages
Translations
42 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Bulgarian:
мърляв
(mǎrljav)
— untidy in appearance
Catalan:
malgirbat
— untidy in appearance
Catalan:
malforjat
— untidy in appearance
Chinese Mandarin:
邋遢的
— untidy in appearance
Finnish:
epäsiisti
— untidy in appearance
Finnish:
rähjäinen
— untidy in appearance
Finnish:
nuhjuinen
— untidy in appearance
Finnish:
resuinen
— untidy in appearance
French:
débraillé
— untidy in appearance
French:
négligé
— untidy in appearance
German:
verwahrlost
— untidy in appearance
German:
heruntergekommen
— untidy in appearance
German:
verdreckt
— untidy in appearance
German:
versifft
— untidy in appearance
Hungarian:
pacuha
— untidy in appearance
Italian:
trasandato
— untidy in appearance
Macedonian:
ра́сфрлен
(rásfrlen)
— untidy in appearance
Macedonian:
ва́лкан
(válkan)
— untidy in appearance
Macedonian:
не́чист
(néčist)
— untidy in appearance
Māori:
pōrohe
— untidy in appearance
Māori:
tātarahake
— untidy in appearance
Māori:
kōhangaweka
— untidy in appearance
Mongolian:
хааш яаш
(xaaš jaaš)
— untidy in appearance
Mongolian:
заваан
(zavaan)
— untidy in appearance
Mongolian:
ᠬᠠᠰᠢ ᠶᠠᠰᠢ ᠵᠠᠪᠠᠭᠠᠨ
(qasi yasi)
— untidy in appearance
Polish:
niechlujny
— untidy in appearance
Portuguese:
desgrenhado
— untidy in appearance
Russian:
неря́шливый
(nerjášlivyj)
— untidy in appearance
Russian:
нечёсаный
(nečósanyj)
— untidy in appearance
Russian:
взъеро́шенный
(vzʺjeróšennyj)
— untidy in appearance
Scottish Gaelic:
robach
— untidy in appearance
Serbo-Croatian:
neuredan
— untidy in appearance
Serbo-Croatian:
zapušten
— untidy in appearance
Spanish:
desaliñado
— untidy in appearance
Spanish:
zarrapastroso
— untidy in appearance
Spanish:
zarapastroso
— untidy in appearance
Spanish:
zalapastroso
— untidy in appearance
Swedish:
ovårdad
— untidy in appearance
Swedish:
sjabbig
— untidy in appearance
Swedish:
tilltufsad
— untidy in appearance
Turkish:
dağınık
— untidy in appearance
Ottoman Turkish:
پنتی
(pinti)
— untidy in appearance
