: the quality or state of being squalid
Examples of squalor in a Sentence
The family was living in squalor.
I was shocked by the squalor of their surroundings.
Recent Examples on the Web
After its seemingly benign opening, the movie captures the appalling conditions under which the inmates are kept, with unblinking scenes of bullying, force feeding, strip searches and squalor.
—
Chloe Veltman, NPR, 16 Feb. 2026
Many came from grinding poverty and squalor.
—Alexandra Schwartz, New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2026
There, they were crammed in squalor before being shot to death and buried in mass graves in the Liaudiskiai forest with the help of local Nazi collaborators.
—Leslie Katz, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026
The cast, meanwhile, seems as if it has been lifted from the squalor of another era.
—Randy Myers, Mercury News, 14 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for squalor
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Chloe Veltman, NPR, 16 Feb. 2026
Many came from grinding poverty and squalor.
—Alexandra Schwartz, New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2026
There, they were crammed in squalor before being shot to death and buried in mass graves in the Liaudiskiai forest with the help of local Nazi collaborators.
—Leslie Katz, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026
The cast, meanwhile, seems as if it has been lifted from the squalor of another era.
—Randy Myers, Mercury News, 14 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for squalor
Cite this Entry
“Squalor.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/squalor. Accessed 2 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
squalor
noun
squa·lor
ˈskwäl-ər 
: filthy or degraded conditions resulting from neglect or lack of money
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