down-at-the-heels

American  

[doun-uht-thuh-heelz] / ˈdaʊn ət ðəˈhilz /

Also down-at-the-heel;

adjective

1. having a shabby, run-down appearance; seedy.

   He is rapidly becoming a down-at-the-heels drifter and a drunk.

---

Etymology

Origin of down-at-the-heels

First recorded in 1695–1705

Example Sentences

Dee, 52, bought the down-at-the-heels house from the city in 2013 for $16,650.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 4, 2022

I met up with Brown again for breakfast one summer morning last year in Southend-on-Sea, a down-at-the-heels resort town about forty miles east of London.

From The New Yorker • Sep. 30, 2019

It was a Marriott or something but it had a funny, down-at-the-heels feel.

From Slate • Jul. 23, 2018

Donyale Werle has provided a funky set that easily blends the back room of the down-at-the-heels bar and the modest apartment where the scenes between Jo and Casey take place.

From New York Times • Sep. 9, 2015

I hate to be unkind, but the hotel is a bit down-at-the-heels.

From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin