: the quality or state of being squalid
Examples of squalor in a Sentence
The family was living in squalor.
I was shocked by the squalor of their surroundings.
Recent Examples on the Web
Nearly two weeks after San Jose began dismantling its largest homeless encampment, the city is set to open its first-ever safe sleeping site, which will provide tents for dozens of the approximately 370 residents who have lived in dilapidated RVs and squalor at Columbus Park.
—
Devan Patel, Mercury News, 31 Aug. 2025
The cottage retains its utopian squalor.
—Literary Hub, 28 Aug. 2025
Gazans have lived in squalor for generations.
—Jeff Robbins, Oc Register, 11 Aug. 2025
Subramanian also found that Combs’ argument that the squalor and danger of the Metropolitan Detention Center, where he is being held, did not warrant release.
—Daniel Arkin, NBC news, 4 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for squalor
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Devan Patel, Mercury News, 31 Aug. 2025
The cottage retains its utopian squalor.
—Literary Hub, 28 Aug. 2025
Gazans have lived in squalor for generations.
—Jeff Robbins, Oc Register, 11 Aug. 2025
Subramanian also found that Combs’ argument that the squalor and danger of the Metropolitan Detention Center, where he is being held, did not warrant release.
—Daniel Arkin, NBC news, 4 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for squalor
Cite this Entry
“Squalor.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/squalor. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
squalor
noun
squa·lor
ˈskwäl-ər 
: filthy or degraded conditions resulting from neglect or lack of money
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