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Definition of filthinessnext
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filthy

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adjective

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Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective filthy differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of filthy are dirty, foul, nasty, and squalid. While all these words mean "conspicuously unclean or impure," filthy carries a strong suggestion of offensiveness and typically of gradually accumulated dirt that begrimes and besmears. Figuratively, it can also describe disgusting obscenity.

a stained greasy floor, utterly filthy
filthy street language

When might dirty be a better fit than filthy?

In some situations, the words dirty and filthy are roughly equivalent. However, dirty emphasizes the presence of dirt more than an emotional reaction to it or, figuratively, stresses meanness or despicableness.

a dirty littered street
don't ask me to do your dirty work

When would foul be a good substitute for filthy?

The words foul and filthy are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, foul implies extreme offensiveness and an accumulation of what is rotten or stinking; it can also describe, for example, loathsome behavior.

a foul-smelling open sewer
a foul story of lust and greed

How is nasty related to other words for filthy?

Nasty applies to what is actually foul or is repugnant to one expecting freshness, cleanliness, or sweetness; in practice, however, nasty is often weakened to the point of being no more than a synonym of unpleasant or disagreeable. When used figuratively, nasty implies a peculiarly offensive unpleasantness.

it's a nasty job to clean up after a sick cat
had a nasty fall
his answer gave her a nasty shock
a stand-up comedian known for nasty humor

In what contexts can squalid take the place of filthy?

The synonyms squalid and filthy are sometimes interchangeable, but squalid adds to the idea of dirtiness and filth that of slovenly neglect. Distinctively, its figurative use implies sordidness as well as baseness and dirtiness.

squalid slums
engaged in a series of squalid affairs

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of filthiness
Adjective
And some of the best evidence of the lovebugs’ comeback came last week at the Turkey Lake Service Plaza on Florida’s Turnpike, where filthy, splattered cars and trucks queued up before the plaza’s automatic windshield washer. Martin E. Comas, The Orlando Sentinel, 27 May 2026 But a visually unappealing toilet seat could make an otherwise tidy bathroom look unexpectedly filthy—and there may really be more dirt and germs there than meet the eye, too. Louise Parks, Martha Stewart, 25 May 2026 Inside, filthy soldiers press up against the wood. Eliana Dockterman, Time, 12 May 2026 Baker said while Fike's immediate surroundings were filthy, a brand-new hospital bed, urinal and wheelchair were available at the home. Madeline Bartos, CBS News, 7 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for filthiness
Recent Examples of Synonyms for filthiness
Noun
  • There are no great surprises from here on out, though the sheer, lusty grossness of the fallout is occasionally startling.
    Guy Lodge, Variety, 16 Apr. 2026
  • If an exclamation point only signified gore and grossness, this gothic rock opera would more than qualify.
    Rachel Simon, Vulture, 6 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • That’s the dirtiness of rugs and pulling.
    David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 13 Apr. 2026
  • For a young team learning to stick up for each other, Mangiapane brings a needed dirtiness to the Hawks.
    Kalen Lumpkins, Chicago Tribune, 14 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • Nestled between the layers is a genuinely heartfelt story that blooms from beneath all the aesthetic and verbal vulgarity, thus making innate, and intuitive, his ongoing, ever-evolving manifesto on the state of things.
    Siddhant Adlakha, IndieWire, 16 May 2026
  • In addition, prosecutors say swastikas, antisemitic slogans and vulgarity were spray-painted on pillars underneath M-53 and Canal, a brick wall near a business and an electrical box at a second business.
    Joseph Buczek, CBS News, 22 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • An earnest, has-a-costume-for-everything kind of guy, Daub is allergic to the greige and the dinge.
    Sandra Upson, Wired, 18 Jan. 2021
  • Dinges said the two crewmembers whose sleep remained steady -- even in the absence of conventional daylight -- were those who kept to a strict schedule and found other ways to control their biological clocks.
    Michael Nedelman, CNN, 1 June 2017
Noun
  • Photos showed Fike's bed and extreme filth surrounding it, including a bedpan with her bath water that was allegedly three weeks old.
    Madeline Bartos, CBS News, 7 May 2026
  • To ensure this filth doesn't reach the engine's internals, an air filter is installed after the air intake.
    Kamron Sanders, Better Homes & Gardens, 2 May 2026
Noun
  • To further prevent obvious staining, choose darker flooring that won't show mud and dirt as easily.
    Claire Hoppe Norgaard, Better Homes & Gardens, 6 June 2026
  • Each of the 22 rays is represented in the primary somatosensory cortex by a distinct morphological module — a stripe of tissue identifiable under cytochrome oxidase staining, arranged in a pattern that mirrors the star’s geometry.
    Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 20 May 2026
Noun
  • The other funnymen of the time—Milton Berle with his lewd suggestiveness, Jackie Gleason with his baleful roar—did the same shtick over and over.
    David Denby, New Yorker, 10 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • Fennell continues to have a gift for exposing the sordidness of money and power.
    Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 11 Feb. 2026
  • Neither Eliot nor Jules suspected anything, and the ease of the deception added to its pleasing sordidness.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 21 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Filthiness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/filthiness. Accessed 12 Jun. 2026.

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