seedy

adjective

ˈsē-dē 

seedier; seediest

1

: containing or full of seeds

a seedy fruit

2

: inferior in condition or quality: such as

a

: shabby, run-down

seedy clothes

b

: somewhat disreputable

a seedy district

a seedy lawyer

c

: slightly unwell : debilitated

felt seedy and went home early

seedily

ˈsē-də-lē 

adverb

seediness

ˈsē-dē-nəs 

noun

Synonyms

• dilapidated
• neglected

Examples of seedy in a Sentence

He was wearing a seedy suit.

a seedy area of the city

Recent Examples on the Web

Armed with a sharp wit that can disarm and humiliate the juvenile boys in their class, Li-li introduces Hsiao-Lee to the seedier side of town, alcohol, and said boys. —Adam Solomons, IndieWire, 4 Sep. 2025

Assuming the persona of a vigilante (Mitch Cohen), Melvin decides to fight crime and clean up the seedy town of Tromaville, New Jersey run by the corrupt Mayor Belgoody (Pat Ryan). —Josh Weiss, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025

But when his seedy neighbor, Russ (Matt Smith), skips town and leaves him with a key that unlocks unknown valuables, Hank becomes the unwitting target of bloodthirsty gangsters. —Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2025

Tight, close shots of the side streets and seedy alleyways of New York City, also land well. —Meredith G. White, AZCentral.com, 20 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1574, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for seedy

• beady
• greedy
• guidi
• needy
• reedy
• speedy
• tweedy
• weedy
• unready

Kids Definition

seedy

adjective

ˈsēd-ē 

seedier; seediest

1

: containing or full of seeds

a seedy fruit

2

: not being in good shape : shabby

seedy clothes

seediness noun