sleazy Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. adjective satellite of cloth; thin and loosely woven
    • the coat has a sleazy lining
  2. adjective satellite of very poor quality; flimsy
    cheap; tinny; punk; crummy; bum; chintzy; cheesy.
  3. adjective satellite morally degraded
    seedy; seamy; squalid; sordid.
    • a seedy district
    • the seamy side of life
    • sleazy characters hanging around casinos
    • sleazy storefronts with...dirt on the walls"- Seattle Weekly
    • the sordid details of his orgies stank under his very nostrils"- James Joyce
    • the squalid atmosphere of intrigue and betrayal

WordNet

Slea"zy adjective
Etymology
Cf. G. schleissig worn out, threadbare, from schleissen to slit, split, decay, or E. leasy.
Definitions
  1. Wanting firmness of texture or substance; thin; flimsy; as, sleazy silk or muslin. Spelt also slazy.

Webster 1913