Seedy Meaning
/ˈsiːdi/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
adjLiteral senses:
adjLiteral senses:, Containing or full of seeds.
Sentence Examples
Tom and Mary live in a seedy rundown neighbourhood.
This bar is seedy. Let's leave.
CEFR Practice Quiz
After dark, the detective entered the ____ alley filled with illegal activity.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The detective met his informant in a ____ bar on the edge of town.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English sedy, equivalent to seed + -y. The senses with negative connotation, first attested by 1725 in slang, originally especially “poor, out of money”, probably arose from the metaphor of a flower that has gone to seed, and is no longer considered beautiful. From there the word came to be used to describe unwell or past-their-prime people, and parallelly run-down places and by extension low-income or crime-affected urban areas. Compare the figurative expressions go to seed (by 1817), etc., originally in reference to plants, “cease flowering as seeds develop”.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Sleazy city / Seedy films / Breathing so heavy / Next to my neighbour / Let’s get acquainted"
— 1981, “Seedy Films”, in Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret, performed by Soft Cell:
"The healing power of alcohol / Only works on scrapes and nicks / And not on girls in seedy bars / Who drown themselves in it"
— 2007, Bayside, “Choice Hops and Bottled Self Esteem”, in The Walking Wounded:
"Besides the broad-brimmed hat, he was distinguished by a spotted tie, a pair of seedy check trousers rather baggy in the seat, and a cut-away coat, much too tight for him."
— 1913, Norman Lindsay, A Curate in Bohemia, Sydney: N.S.W. Bookstall Co., published 1932, page 96:
Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
After dark, the detective entered the ____ alley filled with illegal activity.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The detective met his informant in a ____ bar on the edge of town.