low-rent

American  

[loh-rent] / ˈloʊˈrɛnt /

adjective

1. Informal. second-rate; bargain-basement.

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low-rent British  

adjective

1. informal cheap and inferior

   low-rent films

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Etymology

Origin of low-rent

First recorded in 1975–80

Example Sentences

In “Task”—a kinetic journey into a disregarded America, low-rent organized crime and justice wrested from madness—Mark Ruffalo was an ex-priest turned FBI agent, which was not even close to preposterous as handled by creator-writer Brad Ingelsby.

From The Wall Street Journal

This wasn’t a predictable outcome six months ago, when the township announced that it planned to take legal action to seize the farm—under pressure because of the state Supreme Court’s 1975 “Mount Laurel doctrine,” which requires New Jersey towns to build low-rent housing.

From The Wall Street Journal

What used to be a working-class, bohemian, low-rent neighborhood is now one of the most sought-after areas in the city.

From The Wall Street Journal

It’s not just that so many of the spots are low-rent — and we are beyond being surprised by the graphic symptom/side-effect description of pharmaceutical ads — it’s that they are often repeated several times during a program.

From Los Angeles Times

“But what has that got to do with the Los Angeles low-rent public housing program? It has nothing to do with it at all.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• indifferent
• lousy
• mediocre
• substandard