louche

adjective

ˈlüsh 

: not reputable or decent

Did you know?

Louche ultimately comes from the Latin word luscus, meaning "blind in one eye" or "having poor sight." This Latin term gave rise to the French louche, meaning "squinting" or "cross-eyed." The French gave their term a figurative sense as well, taking that squinty look to mean "shady" or "devious." English speakers didn't see the need for the sight-impaired uses when they borrowed the term in the 19th century, but they kept the figurative one. The word is still quite visible today and is used to describe both people and things of questionable repute.

Synonyms

• notorious
• infamous
• shady
• criminal
• immoral
• disreputable

Examples of louche in a Sentence

it was a seedy neighborhood of louche nightclubs

Recent Examples on the Web

Oscar Isaac, with louche long hair and a snaky hostility, plays Nick Toches (or, rather, the fictional version of him from the novel), a journalist who’s a hipster-outlaw legend. —Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 3 Sep. 2025

By the end of the song, Mars’s excursion into sleaze-funk turns into a full-on Sexyy Red chant-along, with the whole crew turned into a louche league of lip-licking libertines. —Jon Pareles, New York Times, 24 Jan. 2025

Dolce & Gabbana showcased beautiful examples in their Spring/Summer 2025 show this past June, as did Amiri, offering another glimpse at a more sartorially louche future. —Caroline Reilly, Robb Report, 4 Oct. 2024

Here, the anxieties of the past all hang together in louche reconciliation. —Christina Catherine Martinez, Los Angeles Times, 30 Jan. 2023

Word History

Etymology

French, literally, cross-eyed, squint-eyed, from Latin luscus blind in one eye

First Known Use

1819, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for louche

• douche
• touche
• whoosh
• barouche
• cartouche

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