seedy

American  

[see-dee] / ˈsi di /

adjective

seedier, seediest

1. abounding in seed.

2. containing many seeds, as a piece of fruit.

3. gone to seed; bearing seeds.

4. poorly kept; run-down; shabby.

5. shabbily dressed; unkempt.

   a seedy old tramp.

6. physically run-down; under the weather.

   He felt a bit seedy after his operation.

7. somewhat disreputable; degraded.

   a seedy hotel.

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seedy British  

/ ˈsiːdɪ /

adjective

1. shabby or unseemly in appearance

   seedy clothes

2. (of a plant) at the stage of producing seeds

3. informal not physically fit; sickly

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Other Word Forms

• seedily adverb
• seediness noun

Etymology

Origin of seedy

First recorded in 1565–75; seed + -y ¹

Example Sentences

However, Paperny explained that Combs may well struggle to secure a buyer who was willing to pay the $61.5 million asking price—particularly given the property’s seedy connection to the rapper’s trial.

From MarketWatch

The clue is in the title - US crime noir writer Jordan Harper is back with his latest thriller as he returns to his regular hunting ground, the seedy underbelly of LA.

From BBC

There might be some who have had enough of all these seedy headlines and do not want any more Andrew all over their Christmas dinner.

From BBC

In various interviews over the years, Mann described some of his favorite finds — a chop shop in Wilmington, a seedy motel, a stone-encased downtown bank.

From Los Angeles Times

When Meyer joined the firm in 1959, the offices and design studios were inside a seedy Chicago hotel, the Alexandria, where 20 or so designers and technicians worked in white lab coats.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• crummy
• decaying
• decrepit
• dingy
• grubby
• scruffy
• shabby
• sleazy
• squalid
• tacky