sleazy

[slee-zee, sley-zee]

adjective

sleazier, sleaziest 

1. contemptibly low, mean, or disreputable.

   sleazy politics.

2. squalid; sordid; filthy; dilapidated.

   a sleazy hotel.

3. thin or poor in texture, as a fabric; cheap; flimsy.

   a sleazy dress;

   a sleazy excuse.

sleazy

/ ˈsliːzɪ /

adjective

1. sordid; disreputable

   a sleazy nightclub

2. thin or flimsy, as cloth

Other Word Forms

• sleazily adverb
• sleaziness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of sleazy¹

First recorded in 1635–45 sleazy for def. 3; of obscure origin; probably unrelated to Silesia; first recorded in 1941 sleazy for defs. 1, 2; perhaps a distinct word

Word History and Origins

Origin of sleazy¹

C17: origin uncertain

Example Sentences

He might have excelled at the sleazy roles that made Dustin Hoffman and Al Pacino famous.

From Los Angeles Times

In it, a sleazy gym owner attempts to keep his business afloat by stealing and selling human breast milk to desperate gym-goers, until things quickly take a fatal turn.

From Salon

The Goggins gift for playing characters who are both sleazy and incredibly alluring was on full display in this Mother’s Day sketch about a brunch that gets very, very dirty.

From Los Angeles Times

This time it's no holds barred, straight-up grift and corruption in the billions, featuring foreign governments, sleazy scam artists and a big play in the arcane world of cryptocurrency.

From Salon

Charli XCX drew one of the weekend's biggest crowds, for a sleazy, hedonistic run-through of her sleazy, hedonistic breakout album, Brat.

From BBC

Related Words

• seedy 
• sordid 
• tacky 
• trashy