lowlife
noun
a despicable person, especially a degenerate or immoral person.
lowlifes
-
pluralof lowlife.plural
The grammatical form denoting more than one person, place, thing, or idea.
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.
In the words of Damon Runyon, the bard of gambling lowlifes, “Mr. Bert Bell does not get out of bed in time for daylight games.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
As is the case in these mysteries, the upstanding citizens are propped up by a whole lot of lowlifes, but few as fearsome as Scott Shepherd’s chilly construction manager, Allen Murphy.
From Salon ● Sep. 23, 2025
Complications rapidly ensue, and Marlowe finds himself trading morose witticisms with members of Southern California high society as well as assorted lowlifes.
From New York Times ● Feb. 14, 2023
The plot hinges on a document coveted by some of the city’s biggest auto manufacturers, but the various lowlifes hired to steal it are, with one notable exception, happily ignorant of its contents.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 30, 2021
Meanwhile Billington pere made merry with other non-Puritan lowlifes and haphazardly plotted against authority.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
