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Synonyms

sleaze

American  
[sleez] / sliz /

noun

Slang.

  1. a contemptible or vulgar person.

  2. a shabby or slovenly person.

  3. a sleazy quality, character, or atmosphere; shoddiness; vulgarity.

  4. sleazy behavior, content, appearance, or the like.

sleaze British  
/ sliːz /

noun

  1. sleaziness

  2. dishonest, disreputable, or immoral behaviour, especially of public officials or employees

    political sleaze
"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 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.

I don’t necessarily agree with our hero’s opinion that new sleaze rock is what Mozart would be playing if he were alive today.

From Salon • Dec. 14, 2025

While intended to capture the sun-soaked sleaze of a B-movie noir, “Honey Don’t!” is a perplexingly plotted whodunit that delivers the “who” but none of the “why.”

From Salon • Aug. 23, 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

And so far, the familiar patina of hired-goon griminess and comical sleaze is unmistakable.

From Slate • Nov. 26, 2024

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.