disreputable
Americanadjective
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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
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disordered in appearance
Other Word Forms
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.
They couldn’t do that if they acknowledged the center for what it actually is—a competitor, and a particularly disreputable one.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 30, 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
I tied a disreputable straw hat atop the cap, one I could never wear in the street, and snatched a bite of dough from Eliza’s bowl before I ran outside.
From "Fever 1793" by Laurie Halse Anderson
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.
