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sleazy

[ slee-zee, sley-zee ]
/ ˈsli zi, ˈsleɪ zi /
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adjective, slea·zi·er, slea·zi·est.
contemptibly low, mean, or disreputable: sleazy politics.
squalid; sordid; filthy; dilapidated: a sleazy hotel.
thin or poor in texture, as a fabric; cheap; flimsy: a sleazy dress; a sleazy excuse.
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Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.
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In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

Origin of sleazy

1635–45; (def. 3) of obscure origin (probably unrelated to Silesia other than by folk etymology); sense of defs. 1, 2 (first attested 1941) perhaps represent a distinct word

OTHER WORDS FROM sleazy

slea·zi·ly, adverbslea·zi·ness, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use sleazy in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for sleazy

sleazy
/ (ˈsliːzɪ) /

adjective -zier or -ziest
sordid; disreputablea sleazy nightclub
thin or flimsy, as cloth

Derived forms of sleazy

sleazily, adverbsleaziness, noun

Word Origin for sleazy

C17: origin uncertain
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
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