1
as in filthy
not clean
he managed to rise above the sordid streets upon which he grew up
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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
Shomik Mukherjee, The Mercury News, 2 Feb. 2025
This sordid spectacle has sparked in millions of people—in the United States and around the world—some serious Schadenfrudy, or pleasure derived from Rudy Giuliani's misfortunes.
—Dan Perry, Newsweek, 18 Dec. 2024
However, history has proven that male rappers can still thrive despite the most sordid allegations.
—Kyndall Cunningham, Vox, 17 Mar. 2025
The two have a sordid mission to coordinate, but first Mullins reflects on the good old days, namely 9/11 and George W. Bush.
—Stephen Rodrick, Rolling Stone, 9 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sordid
Adjective
But the reports do not contain any of the more sordid details that Webb hasn’t hesitated to share publicly — claims that could damage her credibility in the eyes of some observers.
—Shomik Mukherjee, The Mercury News, 2 Feb. 2025
This sordid spectacle has sparked in millions of people—in the United States and around the world—some serious Schadenfrudy, or pleasure derived from Rudy Giuliani's misfortunes.
—Dan Perry, Newsweek, 18 Dec. 2024
However, history has proven that male rappers can still thrive despite the most sordid allegations.
—Kyndall Cunningham, Vox, 17 Mar. 2025
The two have a sordid mission to coordinate, but first Mullins reflects on the good old days, namely 9/11 and George W. Bush.
—Stephen Rodrick, Rolling Stone, 9 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sordid
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sordid
Adjective
-
The new house is now disgustingly filthy and filled with trash and the smell of cat urine.—
Jeanne Phillips,
Mercury News,
29 Apr. 2025
-
The common areas of the building have been filthy, too: trash all around the grounds and dirty stairwells.—
Chris Higgins,
Kansas City Star,
21 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
The imitation Punisher logo on Cole’s bullet was no act of flattery, but the most vile of insults.—
Proma Khosla,
IndieWire,
16 Apr. 2025
-
Fans, some of them little kids parroting what their parents were saying, called him vile names.—
Houston Mitchell,
Los Angeles Times,
15 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Seen from there, the sandstone pylons of Luxor’s temple rose to an open sky, eternally patient in the dusty, pearlescent light.—
Chris Wallace,
Travel + Leisure,
19 Apr. 2025
-
Down a dusty street in Jereif West, Fatima Bahlawi, 20 months old, lay wailing in her mother’s arms, waving limbs that were thin as sticks.—
Declan Walsh,
New York Times,
19 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Tom Hardy stars in the neo-noir crime thriller as a corrupt detective named Walker, who shoots, punches, and drop-kicks his way through an entire criminal underworld to rescue the estranged son of dirty politician Lawrence Beaumont (Forest Whitaker).—
Mike Miller,
EW.com,
26 Apr. 2025
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Viewers will remember that Sheppard showed up in the season premiere, when his investigation of a deadly biker gang intersected with the Organized Crime Control Bureau’s pursuit of a dirty trucking company.—
Kimberly Roots,
TVLine,
25 Apr. 2025
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
Adjective
-
The two groups meet on a muddy basketball court, and fight.—
Kayti Burt,
Time,
26 Apr. 2025
-
She’s worn her pair over muddy trails, through waterfalls, and more.—
Sara Coughlin,
SELF,
24 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Mingyang took the center of the Octagon from the beginning, landed hard leg kicks, and opened a nasty gash on Smith’s forehead with a step-in elbow.—
Brian Mazique,
Forbes.com,
27 Apr. 2025
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With a triple-digit heater and a nasty slider, he’s always been a tantalizing talent.—
Sahadev Sharma,
New York Times,
26 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
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 5 May. 2025.
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