Definition of SORDID

Choose the Right Synonym for 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

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 on the Web

The last straw came when Serra was getting in her car to head to work and slipped in one of the sordid mounds. — nola.com, "If you’ve ever peed outside this New Orleans bar, you may have been caught on camera," 3 June 2019 The actual deed is reported with such lightly amused aplomb that what could come over as sordid seems like a harmless diversion. — Allison Pearson, New York Times, "A Warning to Women of a Certain Age: Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Nightdress," 29 May 2018 Once more, the director Oliver Stone turns to the sordid underbelly of governance. — Peter Libbey, New York Times, "What’s on TV Sunday: ‘Sharp Objects’ and ‘Snowden’," 8 July 2018 She's been married to Prince Charles for 12 years, after a long and sordid affair while Charles was still married to Princess Diana. — Amanda Mitchell, Marie Claire, "Why The Queen Giving Camilla a Shoutout in Her Birthday Tribute to Prince Charles Is a Big Deal," 14 Nov. 2018 Julie Swetnick’s sordid and implausible claims were to be left out, and if any new allegations against Judge Kavanaugh were to emerge, these also wouldn’t be investigated. — David B. Rivkin Jr. And Kristi Remington, WSJ, "Kavanaugh’s Foes Politicize the FBI," 1 Oct. 2018 And then Stormy Daniels’ lawyer comes up with this incredible story, accusing you of the most sordid and salacious conduct. — Alvin Chang, Vox, "Every time Ford and Kavanaugh answered the question — and didn't answer the question," 28 Sep. 2018 But those regulatory machinations did not dominate headlines like the sordid stories about Pruitt recruiting government workers to help him buy moisturizer from Ritz-Carltons or a mattress from Trump’s Washington hotel did. — Dino Grandoni, Washington Post, "The Energy 202: With Scott Pruitt gone, green groups now turn the spotlight on Ryan Zinke," 9 July 2018 Sandwiched in between the disaster that was 2017, and the expectation that the company will go public in 2019, this was a year for Uber to put its sordid past behind it and stride confidently into the future. — Andrew J. Hawkins, The Verge, "The Verge 2018 tech report card: Uber," 29 Dec. 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.