1
as in filthy
not clean
he managed to rise above the sordid streets upon which he grew up
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in dustiness
the state or quality of being dirty
the sordidness of the neighborhood betrayed a general lack of self-respect
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of sordid
Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 21 May 2025
Savage and fierce, melodic and contagious, the song’s architecture suggested genre is little else than a construct while its words smartly addressed the nation’s sordid past.
—Bob Gendron, Chicago Tribune, 16 May 2025
Patriotic Americans who care about the rule of law and our constitutional order ought to lament this sordid state of affairs—not just the latest twist in the long-running saga but the whole sad story.
—Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 May 2025
In that respect, the Trump administration’s mounting ideological control over medicine represents not a historical rupture but rather a continuation of sordid legacies.
—Eric Reinhart, Scientific American, 1 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for sordid
Adjective
Susanne Bier, who directed Bullock in the post-apocalyptic thriller Bird Box and Kidman in the sordid Netflix mini-series The Perfect Couple, is on board to helm the feature that has a Sept. 18, 2026 release date.
—Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 21 May 2025
Savage and fierce, melodic and contagious, the song’s architecture suggested genre is little else than a construct while its words smartly addressed the nation’s sordid past.
—Bob Gendron, Chicago Tribune, 16 May 2025
Patriotic Americans who care about the rule of law and our constitutional order ought to lament this sordid state of affairs—not just the latest twist in the long-running saga but the whole sad story.
—Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 May 2025
In that respect, the Trump administration’s mounting ideological control over medicine represents not a historical rupture but rather a continuation of sordid legacies.
—Eric Reinhart, Scientific American, 1 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for sordid
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sordid
Adjective
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Troubled Factories: The medications came mostly from plants in India where inspectors found contaminated drugs, filthy labs and falsified records.—
Debbie Cenziper,
ProPublica,
17 June 2025
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The next year, his fame reached a new echelon after the release of Pumping Iron, a docudrama that highlighted Schwarzenegger's strange charisma and filthy sense of humor.—
Randall Colburn,
EW.com,
12 June 2025
Adjective
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The Baloncesto Superior Nacional league announced Tuesday that Cousins was kicked off the Mets de Guaynabo after a vile gesture toward a fan, grabbing his genitals to mock the fan as the fan flipped both his middle fingers.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
11 June 2025
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Today's extradition is a giant step forward in holding the defendant accountable for his unspeakably reprehensible and vile efforts to spread fear, chaos, and hate.—
Mandy Taheri,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 May 2025
Adjective
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This record is a gentle correction for listeners who think of blues as either dusty or loud.—
Philip Martin,
Arkansas Online,
19 June 2025
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Workers in overalls walk down dusty streets that turn into dusty tracks before petering out to nowhere.—
Kim Hjelmgaard,
USA Today,
14 June 2025
Adjective
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The wider sweeps are stressing the capacity of the detention system, where detainees have reported moldy food, dirty towels and no changes of clothes for more than a week at a time.—
Rachel Uranga,
Los Angeles Times,
25 June 2025
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To properly load a dishwasher for maximum cleaning power, place dishes in the dishwasher with the dirty side facing the jets, with taller items around the outside.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
25 June 2025
Noun
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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
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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
Adjective
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Furthermore, stormy weather in Stockholm meant the muddy pitch would favour the hosts’ more pragmatic style.—
Michael Cox,
New York Times,
22 June 2025
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Earlier pressings of this record sounded muddy and boxed in, but here, the piano sparkles and the guitar cuts.—
Philip Martin,
Arkansas Online,
19 June 2025
Adjective
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Perhaps not helping so much: The set’s early reviews, which have been mostly fairly nasty in their dismissals of the set.—
Andrew Unterberger,
Billboard,
25 June 2025
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Again there are two levels here, and each radically altered the color profile of the onscreen visuals – with the high setting giving everything a nasty green hue.—
Paul Ridden
June 25,
New Atlas,
25 June 2025
Adjective
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In its time open, fueled by fans of its blackened mahi and buttery lobster rolls, owner Mike Smith has expanded his footprint, moving into a larger stall in the popular food hall — which has allowed for a menu expansion, as well.—
Amy Drew Thompson,
Orlando Sentinel,
6 Dec. 2022
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There are no glamorous furnishings — just a French window, its blackened panes suggesting the dark of night.—
Christopher Knight,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Oct. 2022
Cite this Entry
“Sordid.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sordid. Accessed 30 Jun. 2025.
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