Definition of SORDID

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

And the shredder scene was a reminder of how his killing fits into a long, sordid history that is only set to continue.

— spencer kornhaber, The Atlantic, "House of Cards Season 5, Episode 10: The Live-Binge Review", 1 June 2017
The conflict was sordid at best, pitting the SF Weekly against its rival, the San Francisco Bay Guardian.

— erin blakemore, Longreads, "Between Life and Death, There’s San Francisco: A Reading List", 28 May 2017
After a sordid past involving a career in nuclear physics, Jennifer threw caution—

— Condé Nast Traveler, "Jennifer Walker", 30 Mar. 2017
Condemned by the United Nations for its sordid living conditions, the Jungle has become a symbolic way station for refugees, replete with churches, mosques and cafes made of plywood and tarpaulins.

— noemie bisserbe, WSJ, "Calais ‘Jungle’ Camp Set Alight as Migrants Leave", 26 Oct. 2016
Which is why Deadspin does a deep dive into photographic evidence to reveal the whole sordid truth of Trump's beard dysfunction.

— scott christian, Esquire, "Can Self-Styled Alpha Male Donald Trump Not Grow a Beard?", 25 Oct. 2016
The spotlight on these allegations has been deeply worrisome to parents, who describe struggling to keep their young children from listening to the sordid details.

— patrick healy and farah stockman, New York Times, "Ripples From the ‘How Low Can They Go’ Campaign", 16 Oct. 2016
Abedin insists that the sordid drama that unfurled after her college years was far removed from the daily grind of keeping the First Lady’s schedule afloat.

— annie leibovitz, Vogue, "Huma Abedin On Her Job, Family, and the Campaign of a Lifetime", 17 Aug. 2016
April 22 Freakshow, season 1 April 25 A Royal Affair (2012) April 30 Sordid Lives (2000) Related:

— ella ceron, Teen Vogue, "Here's Everything Leaving Netflix This April", 22 Mar. 2016

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

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First Known Use: 1606

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. mean and petty satire ignoble suggests a loss or lack of some essential high quality of mind or spirit. an ignoble scramble after material possessions abject may imply degradation, debasement, or servility. abject poverty sordid is stronger than all of these in stressing physical or spiritual degradation and abjectness. a sordid story of murder and revenge

sordid