disreputable
Americanadjective
-
not reputable; having a bad reputation.
a disreputable barroom.
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- Synonyms:
- shameful, louche, low, objectionable, unprincipled, ignoble, disgraceful
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shabby or shoddy; of poor quality or condition.
disreputable clothes.
adjective
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having or causing a lack of repute
-
disordered in appearance
Other Word Forms
- disreputability noun
- disreputableness noun
- disreputably adverb
Etymology
Origin of disreputable
Explanation
If a person or organization is disreputable, they have an image problem. They are — or at least appear to be — crooked, shady, or just plain bad news. See how the word reputation is partially hidden in disreputable? If a person is disreputable, they have a bad reputation for some reason. A student caught cheating will get a bad reputation with teachers and become disreputable. A politician caught in a scandal could become disreputable. If an airline crashes a plane, they will become disreputable. When someone or something is disreputable, people no longer trust them. Even if the reality is different, it's hard to shake off a disreputable image.
Vocabulary lists containing disreputable
Fever 1793
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The City of Ember
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The Haunting of Hill House
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Every dark, serialized drama of the past quarter-century—and all of the comedies featuring disreputable protagonists—owe a debt to Tony Soprano and his family.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 4, 2026
Recent disreputable media sources have referred to World War III and talked about who would most likely be drafted to fight in that war.
From Salon • Jan. 16, 2026
Bad advice does not always equate to disreputable used-car salespeople.
From MarketWatch • Nov. 14, 2025
"If that is the reason, it's disreputable and it can't be supported in any way."
From BBC • May 12, 2025
Ignatius found himself in perhaps the most disreputable office that he had ever entered.
From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
