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.
Press reports suggest Mr. Swalwell’s disreputable behavior wasn’t a secret in the party.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 19, 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
While declining to delve into “certain details,” the Grammy-winning songstress said, “It definitely doesn’t get any easier, seeing some of the negativity that was birthed by disreputable tabloids.”
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 4, 2024
He had not changed his clothes in some days and he looked delightfully disreputable, yet mannered and cool and light in the saddle.
From "The Killer Angels: The Classic Novel of the Civil War" by Michael Shaara
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.
