The level of sleaze in this city seems to have been rising rapidly in recent years.
disapproval You use sleaze to describe activities that you consider immoral, dishonest, or not respectable, especially in politics, business, journalism, or entertainment. She claimed that an atmosphere of sleaze and corruption now surrounded the Government. A sleazy condition, quality, or appearance: "His record of public service is untouched by any stain of shadiness or sleaze" (James J. Kilpatrick)
{i} squalor, wretchedness, dereliction; thinness (of a knit); short form of sleazebag (Slang)