seamy

Definition of seamynext

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
Adjective
  • Beyond an economic and artistic violation, though, there’s a more sordid aspect to what’s happening today with AI stand-ups.
    — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 16 Oct. 2026
  • To burnish the public image and the self-image of men engaged in such sordid enterprises, all kinds of pseudo-traditional rituals and ceremonies were revived or invented.
    — Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
Adjective
  • The police spokesperson said Perez was taken into custody without incident and charged with menacing and criminal possession of a weapon.
    — Iris Kwok, Los Angeles Times, 27 Oct. 2026
  • The leader of one of Haiti’s most powerful criminal organizations said the Salvadorans were killed in territory controlled by Chen Mechan, an allied gang.
    — Widlore Mérancourt, Washington Post, 26 Oct. 2026
Adjective
  • Before showing off the footage — which saw Booth working as a cinema projectionist while handling some more unsavory business on the side — Tarantino explained his decision to revisit the character in the first place.
    — Kirsten Chuba, HollywoodReporter, 24 Oct. 2026
  • But a curious new release in 2025, about the unsavory world of online scalpers, finally tipped him back towards the project.
    — J. Kim Murphy, IndieWire, 17 Oct. 2026
Adjective
  • Horror may now be respectable enough for its own sprawling exhibition at the Academy Museum, but Criterion’s October lineup proves there are still plenty of disreputable pleasures to be found.
    — Yvonne Villarreal, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Thus all notions of reference to precedent in the arts became contentious, if not disreputable.
    — Mario Carpo, Artforum, 1 Sep. 2026
Adjective
  • Convince people that an innocent person represents an existential threat, furnish them with a frightening conspiracy theory about an immoral enemy, and some may become willing to kill.
    — Maxwell Adler, Vanity Fair, 27 Oct. 2026
  • In those cases, your cause is so just that you are warranted to be immoral in protecting it.
    — Jordi Graupera, New Yorker, 22 Oct. 2026
Adjective
  • Adams, usually so conciliatory, plainly voices her disgust with the unethical Mexican clinic which gave McQueen false hope, and side-eyes his late-in-life turn to Christianity.
    — Hadley Hall Meares, Vanity Fair, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Their distress often resonates with fellow citizens who share concerns about unresponsive institutions and unethical governance.
    — the Monitor's Editorial Board, Christian Science Monitor, 19 Oct. 2026
Adjective
  • Mischa Glooshkoff, aka Michael Graves, has light brown curls, a wicked grin, and a wiry frame—perfect casting for the grand boulevardier who would lead my naïve young father astray.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 26 Oct. 2026
  • There’s also the problem of Angelique’s wicked stepmother, Argan’s gold-digging second wife, Beline.
    — Sara Holdren, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2026
Adjective
  • The degradation is shameful, and shamefully compelling to read about.
    — James Wood, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026
  • The squad has not been beefed up at all after a shameful and disgusting transfer window.
    — Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 15 Oct. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Seamy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/seamy. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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