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lowlife

American  
[loh-lahyf] / ˈloʊˌlaɪf /

noun

plural

lowlifes

  1. a despicable person, especially a degenerate or immoral person.

lowlife British  
/ ˈləʊˌlaɪf /

noun

  1. slang

    1. a member or members of the underworld

    2. ( as modifier )

      his lowlife friends
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of lowlife

First recorded in 1785–95; low 1 + life

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.

“My son Jonathan was a thousand times more of a man than this lowlife could ever even dream of being,” Justine Amerault said.

From Washington Times • May 27, 2022

"I want every bounty hunter and lowlife to squeeze him," she says of Obi-Wan in one shot.

From Salon • May 5, 2022

“American Buffalo” is a heist comedy about three small-time criminals hoping to steal a possibly valuable nickel, but its also a no-holds-barred portrait of lowlife desperation and greed.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 8, 2021

“Widespread Panic,” Ellroy’s latest novel, trades political intrigue for hardcore 1950s gossip via the confessions of real-life lowlife Fred Otash.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 3, 2021

“My stunning resemblance to that lowlife O’Doyle is but one result of Petey’s curse, and perhaps the least of them. You shall see.”

From "The Last Last-Day-of-Summer" by Lamar Giles

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.