seamy

adjective

Definition of seamynext
as in sordid

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of seamy Lockjaw’s desire for Perfidia is one of both shame and dominance, a seamy wish to submit to her power as a way to prove its ultimate meaninglessness. — Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 17 Sep. 2025 Up to this point, Cannon’s ability to make things light has kept the seamier parts of his personal life from hurting his career. — Zak Cheney-Rice, Vulture, 15 July 2025 That seamy swagger of Jack Nicholson as über-dirtbag Randle McMurphy in Cuckoo’s Nest could have been shot here yesterday. — Matt Thompson, SPIN, 3 Feb. 2025 Just like Blue Velvet, the painting exposes the seamy underbelly of small-town America. — Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 3 Sep. 2019 See All Example Sentences for seamy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for seamy
  1. sordid
  2. criminal
  3. unsavory
  4. disreputable
  5. immoral
  6. unethical
  7. wicked
  8. shameful
Adjective
  • Driver is the unreliable but well-intentioned brother/uncle who gets them into this sordid mess.
    — Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 26 Sep. 2026
  • Google is aware of the sordid history of running phone apps on desktop PCs.
    — ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of sordid
Adjective
  • Caddell remains under administration, and the criminal investigation against the company and two of its managers in Italy is continuing, prosecutors said.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 29 Sep. 2026
  • But that shifted in recent years as criminal justice advocates called attention to the issue.
    — Ginny Monk, Hartford Courant, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of criminal
Adjective
  • After Anne Hathaway was announced to join Tom Cruise in Paramount’s Days of Thunder 2, Randy Quaid had some unsavory words for the Oscar-winning actress, who is currently pregnant with her third child.
    — Glenn Garner, Deadline, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Needless to say, things do not go well when Bella begins traveling the world and encountering a wide variety of unsavory people.
    — K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of unsavory
Adjective
  • Thus all notions of reference to precedent in the arts became contentious, if not disreputable.
    — Mario Carpo, Artforum, 1 Sep. 2026
  • In their place are flawed geniuses and idiosyncratic personalities thrust together in the dregs of intelligence services, operating like a dysfunctional family under its disreputable patriarch.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of disreputable
Adjective
  • Some sources expand on the account in Genesis, suggesting the Sodomites were not only immoral but positively antimoral.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 18 Sep. 2026
  • What’s so immoral about a goal scored accidentally with a hand or arm anyway?
    — Graham Scott, New York Times, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of immoral
Adjective
  • Documentarian Erin Lee Carr’s latest project is a deep dive into The Swan, the 2004 reality show widely considered one of the most unethical and sadistic in TV history.
    — Erin Lassner, HollywoodReporter, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Other former officials have spoken publicly about the unethical things they were instructed to do.
    — Eyal Press, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of unethical
Adjective
  • Both family and colleagues spoke about her generosity, her friendship with every major designer on both sides of the Atlantic, her love of food, cats and fast cars, and a wicked sense of humor and strong tennis game.
    — Lisa Lockwood, Footwear News, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Both our indignation when the wicked flourish and our sorrow when the righteous suffer have their source in this assumption.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of wicked
Adjective
  • But shaming someone, no matter how shameful their behavior may have been, isn’t the way to convince them to do better.
    — Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Finally, Ericka has a shameful secret of her own, one that Paulina is determined to use against her.
    — Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of shameful

Browse Nearby Words

seamstresses
seamy
seaplane
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Cite this Entry

“Seamy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/seamy. Accessed 5 Oct. 2026.

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