Word Study
sleazy
CIDE DICTIONARY
sleazy, a. [Cf. G. schleissig worn out, threadbare, from schleissen to slit, split, decay, or E. leasy.].
Wanting firmness of texture or substance; thin; flimsy; as, sleazy silk or muslin. [1913 Webster]
OXFORD DICTIONARY
sleazy, adj. (sleazier, sleaziest)
1 squalid, tawdry.
2 slatternly.
3 (of textiles etc.) flimsy.
1 squalid, tawdry.
2 slatternly.
3 (of textiles etc.) flimsy.
Derivative
sleazily adv. sleaziness n.
Etymology
17th c.: orig. unkn.
THESAURUS
sleazy
base, breakable, brittle, broken-down, cheap, cheap-jack, cheesy, chintzy, cobwebby, common, contemptible, crappy, crumbly, crummy, dainty, delicate, delicately weak, dilapidated, dingy, dirty, disreputable, down-at-heel, effeminate, flabby, flaccid, flimsy, floppy, fragile, frail, frangible, gimcrack, gimcracky, gossamery, insubstantial, jerry, jerry-built, light, lightweight, low-class, low-grade, mean, namby-pamby, paltry, papery, pasteboardy, poor, puny, ramshackle, rickety, run-down, seedy, shabby, shattery, shoddy, sissified, slight, slipshod, slummy, sordid, squalid, tacky, tatty, tawdry, tenuous, thin, trashy, unsubstantial, wispy, womanishFor further exploring for "sleazy" in Webster Dictionary Online