sordid

adjective sor·did \ ˈsȯr-dəd \

|Updated on: 15 Jul 2018

Tip: Synonym Guide

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

While some of the story’s plot elements are sordid and unsavory, most of the violence occurs off-camera; Ramsay is more interested in the aftereffects of brutality, though even her grisliest tableaux have a kind of serrated elegance.

— stephanie zacharek, Time, "You Were Never Really Here Is a Skillfully Crafted Thriller," 12 Apr. 2018
Hear the dish on the sordid and scandalous past of downtown and the historic Maple Park neighborhoods.

— elaine rewolinski, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Fall and winter festivals, fairs and other events in Wisconsin," 13 Oct. 2017
In fact, the unremarkable and sordid fact of divorce powers Cusk’s entire autofictional project.

— jordan larson, The Cut, "Rachel Cusk’s Rules for Living," 25 June 2018
This saga threatens to bring a sordid end to the career of one of Leicester's greatest ever players.

— SI.com, "Riyad Mahrez 'Loyalty Bonus' Demands Could Prove to Be Final Stumbling Block in Man City Move," 24 June 2018
Having originated in the U.K., the program is a dark spy thriller, starring Mark Strong as an MI6 assassin who is drawn out of retirement, returning to a sordid, violent life that's unknown to his new wife and children.

— brian lowry, CNN, "No, 'Deep State' is not a current-events show," 15 June 2018
That sordid past was no obstacle as Nader cultivated a formidable list of high-powered contacts.

— desmond butler and tom lobianco, chicagotribune.com, "AP: Emails reveal secret lobbying effort to alter U.S. policy in Middle East," 21 May 2018
Special high fives to the Houston website Ozone City Outrage for some of the vintage flyers from Houston's fun and sordid punk-rock past and to Rockin' Houston for some of the classic rock pics.

— craig hlavaty, Houston Chronicle, "Houston's favorite long-gone, but not forgotten, live music venues," 30 Jan. 2018
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

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.