seamier; seamiest
1
archaic : having the rough side of the seam showing
2
b
: degraded, sordid
the seamy side of urban life
seaminess noun

Examples of seamy in a Sentence

She was involved in a seamy corruption scandal.
Recent Examples on the Web Always seamy, the narcotics trade was largely legal until global prohibition began in the early 20th century. Penn Bullock, Rolling Stone, 25 Sep. 2024 As a type, there is something of the frontier sheriff or noir detective in the exorcist, someone who has rubbed up against seamy outlaws and knows their wiles. Sam Kestenbaum, Harper's Magazine, 21 June 2024 And that’s intentional, Mr. Jónasson says, because his model as a crime writer is more apt to be found in the pastoral villages and cozy tea rooms of Agatha Christie’s St. Mary Mead than in the seamy back alleys of Oslo. Kristina Lindborg, The Christian Science Monitor, 14 May 2024 The third encompasses Twitter’s last gasp of relevance during the COVID-19 pandemic, and its subsequent slide into Musk’s shabbier, seamier X. Angie Han, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019 See all Example Sentences for seamy 

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

Word History

First Known Use

1605, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of seamy was in 1605

Dictionary Entries Near seamy

Cite this Entry

“Seamy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/seamy. Accessed 11 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

seamy

adjective
seamier; seamiest
: not pleasing or presentable : sordid
the seamy side of the city
seaminess noun

More from Merriam-Webster on seamy

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