sleazy
Americanadjective
-
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.
adjective
-
sordid; disreputable
a sleazy nightclub
-
thin or flimsy, as cloth
Other Word Forms
- sleazily adverb
- sleaziness noun
Etymology
Origin of sleazy
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
Explanation
Something that is sleazy is low and nasty. It’s a perfect word to describe characters like the sleazy door-to-door con men who cheat old ladies into selling them their jewelry at a deep discount. Sleazy originally meant flimsy, but nowadays it’s only used to describe morally degraded people or places. Usually it refers to sexual behavior, but it is often associated with people trying to swindle others as well. It’s not as bad as perverse or criminal, which suggest that a line has been crossed. But sleazy people make you feel uncomfortable, for sure.
Vocabulary lists containing sleazy
Stargirl
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Speak
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Just Mercy
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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.
A judge bounces the notorious plaintiffs firm from the J&J trial for sleazy behavior.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 30, 2026
Among the other supporting roles, the most challenging to cast, the team agrees, was that of Euclides, the sleazy police chief.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 24, 2026
Rather than risk a military confrontation, they forced American troops to play the role of the sleazy kidnapper sneaking in windows.
From Salon • Jan. 21, 2026
But what begins as the sleazy and alluring tale of a man parachuting into self-destruction turns into an exploration of the transformative power of living in one’s true identity.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 22, 2025
He’d be handsome, if he weren’t so sleazy.
From "I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter" by Erika L. Sánchez
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.
