1
as in corrupt
having loose sexual morals
a sleazy lothario who is always on the make
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in cheap
of low quality
a sleazy yellow coat that was marked down to practically nothing and not worth even that
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in flimsy
being of a material lacking in sturdiness or substance
these cheap, sleazy curtains would do a poor job of blocking those wintertime blasts of cold air
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4
as in dilapidated
showing signs of advanced wear and tear and neglect
several letters in the sleazy motel's neon "vacancy" sign had burned out
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of sleazy
That arrangement was sleazy enough.
—
Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 3 Feb. 2026
In the film, McAdams plays Linda, a timid employee who is stranded on a desert island with her sleazy boss (Dylan O’Brien) and begins to resort to a more primal personality.
—Jenelle Riley, Variety, 20 Jan. 2026
The Republican candidate was no mystery, a sleazy tabloid character since the 1970s, and the warnings about what his presidency would look like — including from GOP leadership that later bent the knee to the MAGA movement — have proved remarkably prescient.
—Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 18 Jan. 2026
Matty does this by engaging the Kingstons’ favorite tech whiz — a sleazy genius named Carl — to alter her old text-message chain with Belvin, to add a fake text where Matty gets angry with her friend for asking her to retrieve some personal effects from the office.
—Noel Murray, Vulture, 7 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sleazy
Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 3 Feb. 2026
In the film, McAdams plays Linda, a timid employee who is stranded on a desert island with her sleazy boss (Dylan O’Brien) and begins to resort to a more primal personality.
—Jenelle Riley, Variety, 20 Jan. 2026
The Republican candidate was no mystery, a sleazy tabloid character since the 1970s, and the warnings about what his presidency would look like — including from GOP leadership that later bent the knee to the MAGA movement — have proved remarkably prescient.
—Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 18 Jan. 2026
Matty does this by engaging the Kingstons’ favorite tech whiz — a sleazy genius named Carl — to alter her old text-message chain with Belvin, to add a fake text where Matty gets angry with her friend for asking her to retrieve some personal effects from the office.
—Noel Murray, Vulture, 7 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sleazy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sleazy
Adjective
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And right now, these corrupt billionaires, these greedy corporations, are determining all avenues of our life, all types of policies.—
Jim DeFede,
CBS News,
15 Mar. 2026
-
Just as all British became painted as corrupt as part of their national character, so too did all Native people become seen as savage by their biological nature.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Meanwhile, compounding pharmacies that sell cheaper knockoffs of these products are disrupting the marketplace.—
CHRISTOPHER ROWLAND THE WASHINGTON POST,
Arkansas Online,
21 Mar. 2026
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Mail-only ballot elections are a cheaper, though slightly uncommon, alternative for cities when no candidates are on the ballot, like in the case of the upcoming April 21 election in the City Beautiful, according to Miami-Dade County Supervisor of Elections Alina Garcia.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
21 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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That flimsy bobber did its job and triggered the most deadly terrorist act of the Civil Rights Movement.—
John Archibald,
Southern Living,
16 Mar. 2026
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Listen, comedy films have been constructed around flimsier premises.—
Frank Scheck,
HollywoodReporter,
15 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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But these Brown and Black immigrants were usually segregated into dilapidated apartments in the region’s oldest housing stock.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 Mar. 2026
-
The guy handed Gary some cash and Stewart disappeared into a dilapidated trailer.—
Jonathan Bernstein,
Rolling Stone,
17 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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This creates a jarring effect as the significance of her busy endeavours is sublimated by the perverted impulse to judge her physical form.—
Sophie Monks Kaufman,
IndieWire,
16 Feb. 2026
-
Udo Kier is the perverted master of ceremonies in this three-ring circus of deviancy from director Paul Morrissey, which takes Frankenstein’s romantic necrophilia and distills it to its glistening, taboo essence.—
Katie Rife,
Vulture,
9 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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While youth suicide remains a leading cause of death, the youth suicide rate is down in Colorado, and the number of kids reporting poor mental health also dropped from 23% in 2023 to 14% in 2025.—
Shaun Boyd,
CBS News,
17 Mar. 2026
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The launch came amid overcast skies and a weather forecast that was reduced to just a 75% chance for good conditions, according to Space Launch Delta 45’s weather squadron, which also noted a moderate risk for poor conditions at the booster landing site.—
Richard Tribou,
The Orlando Sentinel,
17 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Regional cactus fruits and desert herbs are a highlight of Tierra’s three-course feasts, including the minty and rosemary-like rica-rica, which is as delicious in a sorbet as a frothy pisco sour.—
Mark Johanson,
Outside,
18 Mar. 2026
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This secondary shake will develop a frothy head because of the pineapple juice.—
Kate Bradshaw,
Mercury News,
18 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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When first performed at L.A. Opera a decade ago, the lavish production, co-produced with English National Opera, helped recover a neglected opera.—
Classical Music Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 2026
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His refusal to weaponize suffering is one of his most important — and most neglected— lessons.—
Ed Gaskin,
Boston Herald,
15 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sleazy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sleazy. Accessed 22 Mar. 2026.
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