Standard Lemma guide

sleazy

adj · 7 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˈsliː.zi/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -iːzi
  • CMU ARPABET: S L IY1 Z IY0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Marked by low quality; inferior; inadequate.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: ass, bad, base, below par, bottom-shelf, BTEC, bum, cheap, cheap and nasty, cheapshit, cheesy, chintzy, coffee-and, crap, crappo, crappy, craptastic, crapperific, craptabulous, craptacular, cruddy, crummy, dogwater, drecky, flimsy, fourth-rate, gash, garbage, god-awful, inferior, lousy, low, low-grade, low-quality, low-rent, made in China, mid, naughty, one-star, poor, poor man's, pound-shop, punk, rinky-dink, ropy, rubbish, sad, schlocky, scrubby, second-rate, shoddy, slazy, slight, slim, subpar, shit, shite, shitty, substandard, ticky-tacky, tenth-rate, third-rate, tin-pot, trash, trashy, under par, woeful, wretched

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Raunchy or perverted in nature; tastelessly sexual.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: skeezy

Antonyms: none provided

3

adj

Meaning 3

Untrustworthy, unethical.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: unreliable, questionable, sketchy, shady, slimy

Antonyms: none provided

4

adj

Meaning 4

Thin and flimsy.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: dated

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

adjective satellite

Meaning 5

morally degraded- Seattle Weekly- James Joyce

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a seedy district
  • the seamy side of life
  • sleazy characters hanging around casinos
  • sleazy storefronts with...dirt on the walls
  • the sordid details of his orgies stank under his very nostrils
  • the squalid atmosphere of intrigue and betrayal

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: seamy, seedy, sordid, squalid

Antonyms: none provided

6

adjective satellite

Meaning 6

of very poor quality; flimsy

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: bum, cheap, cheesy, chintzy, crummy, punk, tinny

Antonyms: none provided

7

adjective satellite

Meaning 7

of cloth; thin and loosely woven

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the coat has a sleazy lining

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Origin obscure. Possibly a corruption of Silesia, through a word meaning Silesian cloth. Silesia was formerly the most important location of Germany’s weaving industry.

Across languages

Translations

56 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: مُهَلْهَل (muhalhal) — marked by low quality; inferior; inadequate
  • Arabic: رَدِيء (radīʔ) — marked by low quality; inferior; inadequate
  • Bulgarian: некачествен (nekačestven) — marked by low quality; inferior; inadequate
  • Catalan: rònec — marked by low quality; inferior; inadequate
  • Catalan: deixat — marked by low quality; inferior; inadequate
  • Catalan: sòrdid — marked by low quality; inferior; inadequate
  • Catalan: tronat — marked by low quality; inferior; inadequate
  • Chinese Mandarin: 猥琐 (wěisuǒ) — marked by low quality; inferior; inadequate
  • Czech: chatrný — marked by low quality; inferior; inadequate
  • Czech: mizerný — marked by low quality; inferior; inadequate
  • Czech: ubohý — marked by low quality; inferior; inadequate
  • Finnish: kurja — marked by low quality; inferior; inadequate
  • Finnish: rähjäinen — marked by low quality; inferior; inadequate
  • French: bâclé — marked by low quality; inferior; inadequate
  • French: pourri — marked by low quality; inferior; inadequate
  • French: naze — marked by low quality; inferior; inadequate
  • German: mies — marked by low quality; inferior; inadequate
  • German: schäbig — marked by low quality; inferior; inadequate
  • German: heruntergekommen — marked by low quality; inferior; inadequate
  • Italian: meschino — marked by low quality; inferior; inadequate
  • Italian: scadente — marked by low quality; inferior; inadequate
  • Polish: obskurny — marked by low quality; inferior; inadequate
  • Polish: podejrzany — marked by low quality; inferior; inadequate
  • Portuguese: inferior — marked by low quality; inferior; inadequate
  • Russian: низкопро́бный (nizkopróbnyj) — marked by low quality; inferior; inadequate
  • Spanish: cutre — marked by low quality; inferior; inadequate
  • Spanish: gacho — marked by low quality; inferior; inadequate
  • Spanish: sórdido — marked by low quality; inferior; inadequate
  • Spanish: chungo — marked by low quality; inferior; inadequate
  • Arabic: بَغِيض (baḡīḍ) — raunchy; tastelessly sexual
  • Czech: nechutný — raunchy; tastelessly sexual
  • Czech: oplzlý — raunchy; tastelessly sexual
  • Czech: slizký — raunchy; tastelessly sexual
  • Danish: skummel — raunchy; tastelessly sexual
  • Danish: lyssky — raunchy; tastelessly sexual
  • Finnish: rivo — raunchy; tastelessly sexual
  • Finnish: törkyinen — raunchy; tastelessly sexual
  • French: frivole — raunchy; tastelessly sexual
  • French: cochon — raunchy; tastelessly sexual
  • French: dépravé — raunchy; tastelessly sexual
  • German: vulgär — raunchy; tastelessly sexual
  • German: frivol — raunchy; tastelessly sexual
  • German: schmutzig — raunchy; tastelessly sexual
  • Italian: sordido — raunchy; tastelessly sexual
  • Italian: malizioso — raunchy; tastelessly sexual
  • Italian: volgare — raunchy; tastelessly sexual
  • Polish: obskurny — raunchy; tastelessly sexual
  • Polish: plugawy — raunchy; tastelessly sexual
  • Portuguese: vulgar — raunchy; tastelessly sexual
  • Romanian: murdar — raunchy; tastelessly sexual
  • Romanian: vulgar — raunchy; tastelessly sexual
  • Russian: гря́зный (grjáznyj) — raunchy; tastelessly sexual
  • Russian: посты́дный (postýdnyj) — raunchy; tastelessly sexual
  • Russian: плюга́вый (pljugávyj) — raunchy; tastelessly sexual
  • Russian: развра́тный (razvrátnyj) — raunchy; tastelessly sexual
  • Spanish: vulgar — raunchy; tastelessly sexual