squalid

squal·id

adj \ˈskwä-ləd\

Definition of SQUALID

1

: marked by filthiness and degradation from neglect or poverty

2

: sordid

— squal·id·ly adverb

— squal·id·ness noun

Examples of SQUALID

1. The family lived in squalid conditions.

Origin of SQUALID

Latin squalidus rough, dirty, from squalēre to be covered with scales or dirt, from squalus dirty; perhaps akin to Latin squama scale

First Known Use: 1596

Rhymes with SQUALID

solid, stolid