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 adverb
seediness noun

Examples of seedy in a Sentence

He was wearing a seedy suit. a seedy area of the city
Recent Examples on the Web Its seedy, salty exterior gives a good, chewy bagel some welcome crunch — not to mention pops of savory flavor. G. Daniela Galarza, Washington Post, 21 Sep. 2023 The trial is expected to take weeks to complete and will feature testimony related to allegations of bribery, an extramarital affair, as well as the seedy side of Texas politics. Gromer Jeffers Jr., Dallas News, 4 Sep. 2023 The story is set in the seedy domain of Miami’s criminal underbelly, where Spanish actor Jordi Mollà stars as a seasoned hitman in pursuit of his next target. Patrick Brzeski, The Hollywood Reporter, 2 Sep. 2023 As veggies get bigger, their skins get tougher and their flesh gets seedy, woody and less flavorful. Jeanette Marantos, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2023 Even Nick’s deepening exploration of a wide variety of American underworlds—ranging from the familiar ones of seedy crime bosses to bewilderingly vast networks of surveillance and manipulation—is hardly an existential adventure. Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 11 Aug. 2023 That August, McKenzie reached out to the journalist Jacob Silverman and proposed collaborating together on crypto journalism that would expose its potential dangers and seedy underbelly. Andrew R. Chow, Time, 20 July 2023 Between that reveal, a detour through the seedy world of back-alley quiz shows, and the memorable introduction of the Nozzle, this episode handily wins a spot on this list. Mat Olson, Vulture, 19 July 2023 Buy Now: Silver Nitrate on on Bookshop | Amazon The Stolen Coast, Dwyer Murphy In The Stolen Coast, Dwyer Murphy’s thriller of a crime novel, the sleepy, seedy Massachusetts beach town where protagonist Jack Betancourt lives is a destination for unsavory characters. Time, 29 June 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'seedy.' 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

1574, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of seedy was in 1574

Dictionary Entries Near seedy

Cite this Entry

“Seedy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/seedy. Accessed 25 Sep. 2023.

Kids Definition

seedy

adjective
seedier; seediest
1
: containing or full of seeds
a seedy fruit
2
: not being in good shape : shabby
seedy clothes
seediness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on seedy

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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