: 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
Combs also argued for release on bail because of the squalor and danger at the Metropolitan Detention Center.
—
Aaron Katersky, ABC News, 4 Aug. 2025
His novels explore the moral squalor of all wars, justified or not.
—Rav Grewal-Kök
june 16, Literary Hub, 16 June 2025
The film’s sheer, unrelenting squalor can wear you down, too.
—Stephanie Bunbury, Deadline, 19 May 2025
Women gather together, all fully covered in the Islamic niqab, as hundreds of young children from strikingly diverse ethnic backgrounds wander through the squalor.
—Richard Engel, NBC News, 12 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for squalor
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Aaron Katersky, ABC News, 4 Aug. 2025
His novels explore the moral squalor of all wars, justified or not.
—Rav Grewal-Kök
june 16, Literary Hub, 16 June 2025
The film’s sheer, unrelenting squalor can wear you down, too.
—Stephanie Bunbury, Deadline, 19 May 2025
Women gather together, all fully covered in the Islamic niqab, as hundreds of young children from strikingly diverse ethnic backgrounds wander through the squalor.
—Richard Engel, NBC News, 12 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for squalor
Cite this Entry
“Squalor.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/squalor. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
squalor
noun
squa·lor
ˈskwäl-ər 
: filthy or degraded conditions resulting from neglect or lack of money
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