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filthy

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adverb

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
But, the freedom loving sane people of this great country came to Karoline's defense to show support, destroy the filthy LIBS and celebrate the greatest press secretary this country has ever employed. Joe Kinsey Outkick, FOXNews.com, 16 June 2026 Fans fought in the streets, heaved bottles, smashed windows and shouted filthy insults in the melee, which left nearly 50 people injured. Aj Willingham, AJC.com, 15 June 2026 His jab-step game was filthy out of triple-threat situations, and his mid-post game was already incredibly developed for a teenager. Sam Vecenie, New York Times, 12 June 2026 So, Tom Steyer, welcome to the hall of infamy of filthy-rich flops. Garry South, Mercury News, 11 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for filthiness
Recent Examples of Synonyms for filthiness
Noun
  • All your Dad has to do is fill it and drink—the microfilter membrane will do the rest by removing chlorine odors, dirt, bacteria, and any other grossness floating around in there.
    Francesca Krempa, Travel + Leisure, 11 June 2026
  • 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
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
  • The once-vaunted values of public life are now reduced to the lower standards of private life—venality, vulgarity, rudeness, incontinence, and ignorance.
    Simon Sebag Montefiore, The Atlantic, 28 June 2026
  • Benoit delights in language as much as her heroine, weaving Regency-era slang throughout and appending a chapter-by-chapter glossary of vulgarities.
    Angelina Mazza, Vulture, 19 June 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
  • As currents floated the ship north and tugboats struggled to drag it to port, the thousands of people aboard descended into filth, madness, and worse.
    K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 17 July 2026
  • Preventing or cleaning filth, however, pales in comparison to the problems posed by medical emergencies en route.
    Bloomberg, Mercury News, 14 July 2026
Noun
  • However, if the staining is heavy or set-in, use 1/4 cup of powder per gallon of water.
    Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 14 June 2026
  • 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
Noun
  • The bucket quickly went viral for its not-safe-for-work suggestiveness.
    Greta Cross, USA Today, 1 July 2026
  • 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 22 Jul. 2026.

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