Word
crummy
Phoneticscrum·my, stress on the first syllable
US/ˈkɹəmi/
UK/kɹˈʌmi/
Definition
adj. bad, cheap, or unpleasant, like something of low quality. You use it for a dirty room, bad food, or a job that feels unfair.
adj. poor in quality, unpleasant, or in bad condition; also describing feeling slightly unwell.
Examples
“I stay in a small crummy hotel near the station.”
“The apartment has crummy heating and thin walls, so winter nights feel cold and noisy.”
“After years in a crummy basement office with flickering lights, she finally moves to a bright room with real windows.”
Examples
simple
“I stay in a small crummy hotel near the station.”
contextual
“The apartment has crummy heating and thin walls, so winter nights feel cold and noisy.”
complex
“After years in a crummy basement office with flickering lights, she finally moves to a bright room with real windows.”
Collocations
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “crummy” in context.
Verb
01. feel crummy
“I feel crummy with this cold, so I'm staying in bed today.”
verb + adj
02. look crummy
“You look crummy - are you getting enough sleep?”
verb + adj
Adjective
03. pretty crummy
“The motel was pretty crummy, but it was cheap and near the beach.”
adv + adj
04. rather crummy
“The service at that cafe was rather crummy yesterday.”
adv + adj
Noun
05. crummy apartment
“She moved out of that crummy apartment in winter.”
adj + noun
06. crummy food
“They served crummy food that nobody wanted to eat.”
adj + noun
07. crummy hotel
“We ended up in a crummy hotel near the airport.”
adj + noun
08. crummy job
“He quit his crummy job at the warehouse last month.”
adj + noun
09. crummy weather
“We cancelled the picnic because of the crummy weather.”
adj + noun
10. a crummy little hotel
“We spent one night in a crummy little hotel by the station.”
11. feel pretty crummy today
“I feel pretty crummy today, so I'll skip football practice.”
12. have a crummy day
“Sorry I snapped - I'm just having a crummy day.”
Usage
Gradable; typically placed before the noun it modifies and modified by 'very', 'pretty', or 'rather'.
Real-World Examples
“Never mind the weather, though: Can the E-Ray cope with the UK's uniquely crummy road surfaces?” “But it was another crummy quarter for Disney’s traditional television business, which includes ABC and a portfolio of cable networks.” “Many others are not released simply because they're too crummy, even by the not very high standards of the genre.” “In “Next,” a crummy action and speculative-fiction hybrid, Nicolas Cage plays a guy who can see into the future two minutes at a time.” Etymology
Variant of crumby, mid 19th c.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Related words
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B2 FirstIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.5.5–6.5TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 4.0–4.572–94TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.785–944
- Frequency
- Occasional
- Level
- B2 · Upper Intermediate
- Updated
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