sordid

adjective sor·did \ ˈsȯr-dəd \

|Updated on: 17 Jun 2018

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Examples: sordid in a Sentence

Definition of sordid

1 : marked by baseness or grossness : vile

sordid motives

2 a : dirty, filthy

b : wretched, squalid

3 : meanly avaricious : covetous

4 : of a dull or muddy color

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sordidly

adverb

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sordidness

noun

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Examples of sordid in a Sentence

And Vermes's story is also in part an international thriller, especially with the high-level goings-on around the Scrolls. The full sordid tale of spite, scholarly selfishness, and undisguised anti-Semitism, which kept access to the Dead Sea texts restricted for decades to a tiny cartel, unwinds in his pages. —Paula Fredriksen, New Republic, 15 Oct. 2001
Another reporter working to verify the book's charges ended up unmasking author James Hatfield's sordid past, revealing how little the publisher knew about its author … —Jennifer Greenstein, Brill's Content, February 2000
In fact, audiences now have become so blasé about accounts of celebrities' sordid personal lives that some stars are turning potential publicity nightmares into confessional coups. —Stephen Rebello, Vibe, May 1999
He shared the sordid details of his past.
he managed to rise above the sordid streets upon which he grew up

Recent Examples of sordid from the Web

Indian burial grounds, oil derricks and the city’s sordid, riotous history all come up.

— benjamin oreskes, www.latimes.com, "Many people work hard to avoid the homeless. These volunteers embrace them," 7 June 2018
Live Inspired by the ribald party game Cards Against Humanity, the improvisers in this group solicit sordid suggestions from the audience.

— steve heisler, Chicago Reader, "Don't miss these 11 Pride-themed events," 7 June 2018
Yet Collins says the fun didn’t come from the sordid finds.

— ale russian, PEOPLE.com, "You'll Love Watching Michelle Collins Go Through People's Phones on Search History," 5 June 2018
The sordid Russia scandal has already brought some version of a very dark nightmare scenario to life.

— jonathan chait, Daily Intelligencer, "Russian Leverage Over Trump Is Not Just a Theory. It’s Now Fact.," 8 May 2018
A dozen years earlier, a sordid scandal stemming partly from a family falling-out had reduced the senior Mr. Kushner from real estate baron to felon making wallets at a prison camp in Alabama.

— sharon lafraniere and katie benner, New York Times, "The Kushners Saw Redemption in the White House. It Was a Mirage.," 1 Apr. 2018
Adult-film star and Baton Rouge native Stormy Daniels will appear on national television Sunday (March 25) for a full-length interview for the first time since sordid scandal involving her and President Donald Trump burst into public view.

— the washington post, NOLA.com, "Stormy Daniels' '60 Minutes' interview to air Sunday," 22 Mar. 2018
And that's really the story of this whole sordid affair.

— aaron blake, Washington Post, "‘A confidential informant is not a spy’: Lindsey Graham undercuts his ally Trump," 25 May 2018
In internal emails, probation officials agreed that the program was unsuitable for offenders and griped about Warren’s sordid history.

— amy julia harris and shoshana walter, charlotteobserver, "Drug users got exploited. Disabled patients got hurt. One woman benefited from it all. | Charlotte Observer," 21 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'sordid.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of sordid

Latin sordidus, from sordes dirt — more at swart

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1606

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

sordid Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of sordid

mean, ignoble, abject, sordid mean being below the normal standards of human decency and dignity. mean suggests small-mindedness, ill temper, or cupidity.