sleaze

noun

ˈslēz How to pronounce sleaze (audio)
 also  ˈslāz
1
: sleazy quality, appearance, or behavior
also : sleazy material
2
: a sleazy person

Examples of sleaze in a Sentence

some sleaze will try to make a buck off of this tragedy a real sleaze who is constantly mooching off friends, and friends of friends
Recent Examples on the Web Instead, such matters are gestured to in a perfunctory way, through the character of Dale’s New York manager (played by Martin Scorsese), who talks business quickly but vaguely and whose presence merely hints at sleaze without delving into details. Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 15 Feb. 2024 Harris makes a monstrous villain, Franco is vile sleaze personified and a platinum-blonde Malone is distressing as a wife unwilling to renounce her love for JJ despite life-threatening injuries. David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 21 Jan. 2024 Kourtney Kardashian, in the purest indie sleaze interpretation of them all, leaned into kitsch, wearing her leopard print shorts with a Madonna T-shirt and trendy moto boots. Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 1 Jan. 2024 This will be a familiar sight to anyone who lived through the 2010s, when the convergent forces of indie sleaze, twee and prepster aesthetics encouraged women to purchase fire engine-red tights. Daniel Rodgers, Vogue, 15 Dec. 2023 Itaewon was spawned as a bawdy nightlife district adjacent to the U.S. military barracks, whose carousing GIs inevitably lent a reputation for sleaze and debauch. TIME, 26 Oct. 2023 And frankly, who better to lead that charge than indie sleaze icon Kelly Osbourne? Hanna Lustig, Glamour, 27 Oct. 2023 Baggy jeans and grunge sleaze are popular on Depop. Laura Daily, Washington Post, 26 Sep. 2023 From an indie sleaze prep school look to multiple red carpet appearances wearing velvet jackets and jeans, Mayer was ruthless, trashing the vast majority of his fits (except a rather cozy-looking chunky sweater look). Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 3 Oct. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sleaze.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

back-formation from sleazy

First Known Use

1948, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of sleaze was in 1948

Dictionary Entries Near sleaze

Cite this Entry

“Sleaze.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sleaze. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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