SEAMY Synonyms: 94 Similar and Opposite Words

seamy

adjective

Definition of seamy

as in sordid

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

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 Or does the new political reality demand engagement with the seamier side of politics? — Karrin Vasby Anderson, Washington Post, 10 Feb. 2026 Just like Blue Velvet, the painting exposes the seamy underbelly of small-town America. — Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 3 Sep. 2019 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 But Nuzzi’s revelations about Kennedy seem anticlimactic following the even more seamy stories shared by Lizza on his Telos News Substack posts. — Martha Ross, Mercury News, 2 Dec. 2025 See All Example Sentences for seamy

Recent Examples of Synonyms for seamy

Adjective

And all of American history, all of the best elements of American history, were made possible by the seemingly sordid act in 1850.

— David Frum, The Atlantic, 1 July 2026
The show is set to be led by writer Drew Crevello, who brought the sordid WeWork backstory to life with the miniseries WeCrashed, starring Jared Leto and Anne Hathaway.

— Chris Snellgrove, Entertainment Weekly, 22 June 2026

Definition of sordid

Adjective

Kayden Bordley, 19, faces one count each of second-degree murder and unlawful use of a weapon, and two counts of armed criminal action, according to a Jackson County charging document.

— Caroline Zimmerman, Kansas City Star, 7 July 2026
The Chino Police Department is leading the criminal investigation.

— Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 7 July 2026

Definition of criminal

Adjective

The goal of providing that commentary is to assure the market that the CFO switch isn’t related to anything unsavory happening with the accounting book.

— Zev Fima,Kevin Stankiewicz, CNBC, 28 June 2026
The number of drivers getting caught in unsavory circumstances in the backcountry has also increased in recent years, leading to more rescues.

— Tiney Ricciardi, Denver Post, 25 June 2026

Definition of unsavory

Adjective

After the laughter ringing through the room subsides, though, Abela does allow for a moment of reverence — for the HBO drama if not for the disreputable people who populate it.

— Matt Brennan, Los Angeles Times, 17 June 2026
The cultural shift that turned horror cinema from a disreputable, rarely respected grind-house film genre into a billion-dollar-a-year mainstream business has done wonders for the genre’s overall quality.

— Tasha Robinson, Vulture, 29 May 2026

Definition of disreputable

Adjective

Court records show that 60-year-old Bradley Kyle Martin, of Dearborn Heights, is charged with using a computer or internet to communicate with another person to commit a crime and accosting children for immoral purposes.

— DeJanay Booth-Singleton, CBS News, 25 June 2026
These monsters—its antitheses—constitute that part of our nature that urges us to be sensible and strong, and that inclines us to see the life drive as trivial, weak, sentimental and immoral.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 17 June 2026

Definition of immoral

Adjective

Experts link this to a lack of trust rooted in past unethical practices and concerns about data extraction.

— Kate Vitasek, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026
In another nod to Scream, Cheri Oteri parodies Courteney Cox’s Gale Weathers as the comically unethical news anchor Gail Hailstorm.

— Skyler Trepel, Entertainment Weekly, 27 June 2026

Definition of unethical

Adjective

Yamal was a thorn in Saudi Arabia’s side, drifting infield to unleash shots from distance but also peppering the penalty area with wicked deliveries from the right flank.

— Mark Carey, New York Times, 2 July 2026
Has Sugar’s inherent decency become something of a moral palate cleanser for Oz’s wicked ways?

— Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 27 June 2026