SCRAPPY Synonyms: 147 Similar and Opposite Words

scrappy

adjective

Definition of scrappy

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

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

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 scrappy Courtesy Rockaway Film Festival The space certainly feels scrappier than the black-and-white photos of its predecessors. — Kat Chen, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 Sep. 2026 The workplace comedy started as a scrappy passion project — Gillis uploaded a pilot to YouTube in 2019 before the trio financed and produced a six-episode first season independently in Pennsylvania. — Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 31 Aug. 2026 But life on an island also inspires a scrappy, home-town camaraderie. — Laura Preston, New Yorker, 30 Aug. 2026 The group’s early music was lo-fi, vintage-leaning, and just twee enough to make the scrappy garage rockers an emblem of early-mid aughts Urban Outfitters hipsterdom. — Jonathan Bernstein, Rolling Stone, 29 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for scrappy

Recent Examples of Synonyms for scrappy

Adjective

Of course, Carleton said, not every patient will want that, and people with aggressive disease may need every intense treatment, test, and appointment.

— Allessandra DiCorato, STAT, 8 Oct. 2026
His daughter, Stephanie, told Deadline that Carbone died August 28 of cholangiocarcinoma, a rare and aggressive cancer.

— Erik Pedersen, Deadline, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of aggressive

Adjective

Much of that flood of silicon is going to the data centers that are popping up all over and are increasingly controversial as AI prepares to remake the economy, work, life and thought.

— Evan Clark, Footwear News, 6 Oct. 2026
Now those tensions threaten to ignite once more following a provocative celebration by one of Haiti’s star players as his controversial remarks and the fallout inject fresh friction into the relationship.

— Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of controversial

Adjective

There was music and singing, but we were dressed in gowns and tuxedos and then did militant poetry.

— Jeremy Rellosa, Curbed, 8 Oct. 2026
Abu Obaida also praised Iran for its support, as well as militant groups such as Hezbollah in Lebanon and Yemen’s Houthi rebels.

— Charlene Gubash, NBC news, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of militant

Adjective

What readers are saying The conversation explores the contentious issue of whether doctors should charge for responding to patient emails.

— Ishani Ganguli, Washington Post, 1 Oct. 2026
Court records show McKinsey’s killing came during a contentious divorce with his wife, Candice Jang, and a custody battle over the couple’s three young children.

— ABC News, ABC News, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of contentious

Adjective

Still, her willingness to enjoy a hostile road crowd offers a useful perspective in a league where interactions with spectators have become such a consuming subject.

— Dan Zaksheske OutKick, FOXNews.com, 8 Oct. 2026
Portuguese Foreign Minister Paulo Rangel said the approval didn’t include hostile actions that go against international law.

— ABC News, ABC News, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of hostile

Adjective

Even so, the film’s gaze is more anthropological than polemical, especially given the faux-doc vibe created by its abundant handheld camerawork, seemingly filmed sometimes by the actors themselves.

— Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 9 Aug. 2026
Now, in the 1500s and 1600s, that phrase was often used by Catholics in their polemical war against Protestants.

— David Frum, The Atlantic, 1 July 2026

Definition of polemical

Adjective

Quick-witted, feisty, and loving, Neo is the owner of Neo’s Soul Kitchen.

— Denise Petski, Deadline, 25 Sep. 2026
Bass is playing Cyrus’s pop and rock interests against each other, sometimes enticingly but sometimes divisively, balancing production from longtime Harry Styles affiliate Kid Harpoon and feisty Brooklyn rock quartet Model/Actriz.

— Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of feisty

Adjective

The recent rise in yields reflects concerns about stubborn inflation and hawkish central bank commentary, fueling expectations that interest rates could remain elevated for longer.

— Sarah Min,Davis Giangiulio,Sawdah Bhaimiya, CNBC, 2 Oct. 2026
Even so, scaling up could force Google and SpaceX to confront some stubborn physics.

— Peter Hall, Scientific American, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of stubborn

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“Scrappy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scrappy. Accessed 10 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of scrappy

adjective

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