Synonyms of sordid

sordid

adjective

ˈsȯr-dəd 

1

as in filthy

not clean

he managed to rise above the sordid streets upon which he grew up

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

2

as in vile

not following or in accordance with standards of honor and decency

a sordid affair involving bribery and corruption in high places

Synonyms & Similar Words

• vile
• dirty
• nasty
• immoral
• cruel
• vicious
• ignoble
• corrupt
• ignominious
• contemptible
• detestable
• despicable
• wretched
• dishonorable
• bad
• low-down
• execrable
• evil
• snide
• mean
• paltry
• base
• low-minded
• wicked
• low
• foul
• currish
• wrong
• iniquitous
• depraved
• perverted
• reprehensible
• debauched
• shameful
• dissolute
• miscreant
• debased
• degenerate
• villainous
• disgraceful
• censurable
• disreputable
• discreditable
• unscrupulous
• unprincipled
• blameworthy
• atrocious
• blamable
• unethical
• unworthy

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• noble
• high
• virtuous
• lofty
• honorable
• moral
• ethical
• straight
• honest
• venerable
• upright
• righteous
• good
• scrupulous
• excellent
• just
• principled
• exemplary
• right
• proper
• high-minded
• commendable
• respectable
• decent
• reputable
• blameless
• guiltless
• seemly
• right-minded
• irreproachable
• incorruptible
• uncorrupted
• unerring

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective sordid differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of sordid are abject, ignoble, and mean. While all these words mean "being below the normal standards of human decency and dignity," sordid is stronger than all of these in stressing physical or spiritual degradation and abjectness.

a sordid story of murder and revenge

Where would abject be a reasonable alternative to sordid?

While in some cases nearly identical to sordid, abject may imply degradation, debasement, or servility.

abject poverty

When might ignoble be a better fit than sordid?

The synonyms ignoble and sordid are sometimes interchangeable, but ignoble suggests a loss or lack of some essential high quality of mind or spirit.

an ignoble scramble after material possessions

When can mean be used instead of sordid?

The words mean and sordid can be used in similar contexts, but mean suggests small-mindedness, ill temper, or cupidity.

mean and petty satire

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of sordid

Singer Bradley Nowell drunk-steered his band through sordid anthems, crashing through references to classic ska and dancehall songs, shouting out Rudimentary Peni and Geto Boys, and re-setting the murder ballads and drug sprees of outlaw country in suburban California. — Sadie Sartini Garner, Pitchfork, 15 June 2026

After months of scandal and speculation, and several weeks of extended reunion unpacking, the sordid mess of Summer House season ten has been excavated. — Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 10 June 2026

Beyond the juicy and sordid details, there’s the redemption tale of Hoyt Richards, a Princeton grad who became the first male supermodel in the 1980s. — Stuart Miller, Los Angeles Times, 9 June 2026

The sordid tale of the Murdaughs unfolded in the public eye during a boom in true crime media, when actual instances of death and deception could hardly keep up with the demand for packaging and repackaging sinister stories of shocking human behavior. — Andrea Marks, Rolling Stone, 25 May 2026