1
: marked by baseness or grossness : vile
sordid motives
3
: meanly avaricious : covetous
4
: of a dull or muddy color
sordidly
adverb
sordidness
noun
Synonyms
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
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 on the Web
Democrats have a sordid history of playing the race card for or against groups based on prevailing political winds.
—WSJ, 6 Nov. 2023
For her groundbreaking presentation at the 2022 Venice Biennale, American sculptor Simone Leigh took a page from history, borrowing a theme from the sordid 1931 Paris Colonial Expo.
—Kriston Capps, Washington Post, 3 Nov. 2023
Though he’s never found much acclaim on this side of the border, Ripstein occupies a vaunted status at home, entrenched between the sordid and the sublime.
—Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 12 Sep. 2023
The indictment itself concludes with a description of one of many moments when Trump might have, however belatedly, pulled the plug on the whole sordid affair.
—Susan B. Glasser, The New Yorker, 2 Aug. 2023
The singer insisted his song had nothing to do with race and expressed outrage over the ties critics have drawn between it and our sordid, racist past.
—TIME, 11 Oct. 2023
The third-term senator was indicted last week on bribery charges in what prosecutors alleged was a sordid scheme that included abusing his power as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to benefit Egypt.
—Annie Karni, New York Times, 26 Sep. 2023
Between wanderlust and self-revelation, Nikki confronts unexpected twists and turns, from launching the first feminist travel publication, Unearth Women, to investigating a mysterious family murder in Colombia, to navigating new love and sordid affairs.
—Sarah Yang, Sunset Magazine, 29 Sep. 2023
Wolff paints the post-Ailes, post-Dominion, and post-Tucker Fox as a rudderless behemoth, led by sheepish heirs who loathe the sordid business but are chained to the money pipeline by greed.
—Nina Burleigh, The New Republic, 26 Sep. 2023
See More
WSJ, 6 Nov. 2023
For her groundbreaking presentation at the 2022 Venice Biennale, American sculptor Simone Leigh took a page from history, borrowing a theme from the sordid 1931 Paris Colonial Expo.
—Kriston Capps, Washington Post, 3 Nov. 2023
Though he’s never found much acclaim on this side of the border, Ripstein occupies a vaunted status at home, entrenched between the sordid and the sublime.
—Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 12 Sep. 2023
The indictment itself concludes with a description of one of many moments when Trump might have, however belatedly, pulled the plug on the whole sordid affair.
—Susan B. Glasser, The New Yorker, 2 Aug. 2023
The singer insisted his song had nothing to do with race and expressed outrage over the ties critics have drawn between it and our sordid, racist past.
—TIME, 11 Oct. 2023
The third-term senator was indicted last week on bribery charges in what prosecutors alleged was a sordid scheme that included abusing his power as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to benefit Egypt.
—Annie Karni, New York Times, 26 Sep. 2023
Between wanderlust and self-revelation, Nikki confronts unexpected twists and turns, from launching the first feminist travel publication, Unearth Women, to investigating a mysterious family murder in Colombia, to navigating new love and sordid affairs.
—Sarah Yang, Sunset Magazine, 29 Sep. 2023
Wolff paints the post-Ailes, post-Dominion, and post-Tucker Fox as a rudderless behemoth, led by sheepish heirs who loathe the sordid business but are chained to the money pipeline by greed.
—Nina Burleigh, The New Republic, 26 Sep. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sordid.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Dictionary Entries Near sordid
Cite this Entry
“Sordid.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sordid. Accessed 6 Dec. 2023.
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Kids Definition
sordid
adjective
sor·did
ˈsȯrd-əd 
1
: very dirty : filthy
sordid surroundings
2
: vile sense 1a
a sordid life
3
: meanly greedy : covetous
sordidly
adverb
sordidness
noun
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