# seedy

> English word · Adjective · IPA /ˈsiːdi/ · frequency rank #35,933

## Definitions
1. Literal senses:
2. Literal senses:
3. Literal senses:
4. Inferior in condition or quality.
5. Inferior in condition or quality.
6. Inferior in condition or quality.
7. Inferior in condition or quality.

## Etymology
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”.

## Easily confused with
- **seen** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/seedy-vs-seen)
- **send** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/seedy-vs-send)
- **seem** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/seedy-vs-seem)
- **seek** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/seedy-vs-seek)
- **sees** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/seedy-vs-sees)
- **sexy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/seedy-vs-sexy)
- **shed** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/seedy-vs-shed)
- **sued** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/seedy-vs-sued)
- **sped** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/seedy-vs-sped)
- **sled** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/seedy-vs-sled)
- **seer** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/seedy-vs-seer)
- **seep** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/seedy-vs-seep)
- **study** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/seedy-vs-study)
- **seems** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/seedy-vs-seems)
- **speed** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/seedy-vs-speed)
- **sends** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/seedy-vs-sends)
- **seeks** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/seedy-vs-seeks)
- **shady** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/seedy-vs-shady)
- **sheds** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/seedy-vs-sheds)
- **suede** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/seedy-vs-suede)

## Common misspellings (7)
`esedy`, `sedey`, `sedy`, `seeddy`, `seedyy`, `seeyd`, `sseedy`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/seedy