noun
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sleaziness
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dishonest, disreputable, or immoral behaviour, especially of public officials or employees
political sleaze
Etymology
Origin of sleaze
First recorded in 1950–55; back formation from sleazy
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.
It wasn’t just, or even chiefly, the miasma of sleaze and corruption that seemed to surround her wherever she went.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 22, 2026
A largely forgotten chapter of the Watergate scandal connected two fixtures of American life: milk and political sleaze.
From Slate • Dec. 5, 2025
Top American newscasters, including Chris Cuomo, did their part to keep perpetuating the sleaze.
From Salon • Aug. 20, 2025
"So I'm sitting there, minding my own business. They invite me into this Signal chat and now they're attacking me as a sleaze bag, I don't even get it."
From BBC • Mar. 26, 2025
I always knew ReelTok was sleazy, but this is a whole new level of sleaze.
From "Linked" by Gordon Korman
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.
