Synonyms of filthy

filthy 1 of 2

adjective

ˈfil-thē 

1

as in obscene

depicting or referring to sexual matters in a way that is unacceptable in polite society

you cannot use such filthy language on the public airwaves

Synonyms & Similar Words

• obscene
• vulgar
• pornographic
• dirty
• nasty
• foul
• gross
• unacceptable
• disgusting
• crude
• blue
• naughty
• suggestive
• unpleasant
• indecent
• obnoxious
• lascivious
• impure
• offensive
• raunchy
• trashy
• lewd
• undesirable
• coarse
• bawdy
• smutty
• profane
• abusive
• ribald
• unwanted
• locker-room
• unprintable
• wanton
• gutter
• infamous
• wicked
• stag
• broad
• X-rated
• porny
• depraved
• perverted
• soft
• loathsome
• salacious
• repulsive
• scatological
• salty
• revolting
• off
• kinky
• objectionable
• low
• repugnant
• earthy
• barnyard
• indelicate
• unbecoming
• immodest
• unwelcome
• coarse-grained
• indecorous
• perverse
• abhorrent
• racy
• gamy
• distasteful
• repellent
• off-colored
• risqué
• reprehensible
• atrocious
• exceptionable
• scurrilous
• louche
• off-color
• gamey
• blameworthy
• censurable
• blamable
• repellant
• hard-core
• debasing
• soft-core

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• clean
• wholesome
• decent
• proper
• Victorian
• puritanical
• prudish
• correct
• nice
• staid
• priggish
• polite
• respectable
• prim
• acceptable
• innocuous
• genteel
• pleasant
• desirable
• seemly
• decorous
• appropriate
• suitable
• inoffensive
• nonobscene
• agreeable
• welcome
• G-rated
• pure
• becoming
• meet
• straitlaced
• straightlaced
• pleasing
• perfect
• spotless
• immaculate
• fit
• virginal
• endorsed
• approved
• sanctioned
• indorsed

2

as in dirty

not clean

you can't go to the concert unless you clean this filthy room first

Synonyms & Similar Words

• dirty
• dusty
• stained
• muddy
• blackened
• nasty
• black
• grimy
• greasy
• unclean
• messy
• smudged
• dingy
• grubby
• soiled
• sordid
• mucky
• polluted
• grungy
• begrimed
• smutty
• foul
• uncleanly
• sloppy
• bedraggled
• grotty
• befouled
• chaotic
• sullied
• draggled
• cruddy
• besmirched
• contaminated
• unsanitary
• littered
• insanitary
• messed
• impure
• confused
• unwashed
• bemired
• tainted
• uncleaned
• unsterile
• unkempt
• slovenly
• scruffy
• cluttered
• unsterilized
• squalid
• disheveled
• untidy
• shabby
• disordered
• dishevelled
• defiled
• jumbled
• raunchy
• germy
• rumpled
• muddled
• sleazy
• sooty
• disarranged
• gunky
• skanky
• scuzzy
• mussed
• disarrayed
• mussy
• fuliginous
• crocked
• collied

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• clean
• spotless
• immaculate
• pure
• unsoiled
• unsullied
• unstained
• stainless
• spick-and-span
• clear
• ultraclean
• cleaned
• cleanly
• limpid
• neat
• tidy
• orderly
• spic-and-span
• cleansed
• bleached
• groomed
• ordered
• shiny
• perfect
• combed
• untouched
• bright
• sparkling
• purified
• whitened
• flawless
• wholesome
• unpolluted
• unspotted
• unblemished
• untainted
• virgin
• undefiled
• taintless

filthy

2 of 2

adverb

as in extremely

to a great degree

the invention made him filthy rich

Synonyms & Similar Words

• extremely
• very
• incredibly
• terribly
• damned
• damn
• highly
• badly
• too
• so
• desperately
• severely
• jolly
• really
• super
• full
• seriously
• far
• wildly
• intensely
• most
• that
• wicked
• awful
• heavily
• mighty
• real
• exceptionally
• greatly
• especially
• such
• awfully
• much
• good and
• fantastically
• particularly
• fiercely
• fabulously
• deadly
• absolutely
• frightfully
• sore
• monstrous
• exceedingly
• exceeding
• supremely
• immensely
• beastly
• extra
• utterly
• stinking
• specially
• totally
• roaring
• rattling
• passing
• uncommonly
• thoroughly
• dang
• eminently
• bone
• way
• hugely
• mortally
• cracking
• vitally
• remarkably
• completely
• thumping
• surpassingly
• achingly
• whacking
• sorely
• spanking
• positively
• almighty
• enormously
• deeply
• vastly
• colossally
• archly
• a lot
• corking
• roaringly
• blisteringly
• entirely
• ever
• wholly
• majorly
• mightily
• downright
• unco
• significantly
• right
• as all get-out
• profoundly
• noticeably
• fully
• visibly
• radically
• flat-out
• considerably
• obviously
• purely
• substantially
• notably
• extensively
• obscenely
• markedly
• excessively
• palpably
• plentifully
• altogether
• abundantly
• astonishingly
• amazingly
• plainly
• discernibly
• monumentally
• monstrously
• staggeringly
• appreciably
• astronomically
• grandly
• overmuch

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• little
• somewhat
• slightly
• nominally
• negligibly
• just
• barely
• hardly
• scarcely
• marginally
• scantily
• minimally
• meagerly

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

Recent Examples of filthy

Adjective

Her house is always cluttered, with dirty countertops, tabletops, filthy floors and toilets. —Ticked Off, Orlando Sentinel, 16 Mar. 2025

Chicagoans will have no one to hold accountable at the ballot box when the buses don’t arrive and rail stations are filthy and crime-ridden. —Forrest Claypool, Chicago Tribune, 14 Mar. 2025

The plastic waste China received was filthy, much of it too dirty to be cleaned, shredded, and turned into new plastic. —Scott W. Stern, The Atlantic, 10 Mar. 2025

So far, these two troublesome and filthy strangers haven’t found any takers, but Baucis and Philemon welcome them in, no questions asked. —Hannah Gold, Harper's Magazine, 19 Feb. 2025