1
as in filthy
severely lacking in cleanliness
The squalid boarding house was overrun with rats.
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
2
as in vile
not moral or honest
The whole squalid affair will rightly end the politician's public career.
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
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 squalid
Millions have paid heed, with hundreds of thousands seeking refuge in squalid tent camps.
—
ABC News,
8 June 2026
The federal government and the city’s creditors had demanded budget cuts, which in turn exacerbated the already squalid conditions around the city.
—
Kevin Lozano,
Harpers Magazine,
2 June 2026
Haitian women are having babies in squalid, unsupervised settings after the Dominican Republic started sending immigration agents to detain migrants at hospitals.
—
Alexandra Stevenson Luis Ferré-Sadurní Paul Mozur David French,
New York Times,
2 June 2026
Half Moon Bay, a San Mateo County coastal city of just over 11,000 residents, gained national attention in 2023 when a mass shooting at a farm labor camp exposed the squalid living conditions of farmworkers in the area.
—
Ryan MacAsero,
Mercury News,
29 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for squalid
ABC News,
8 June 2026
The federal government and the city’s creditors had demanded budget cuts, which in turn exacerbated the already squalid conditions around the city.
—
Kevin Lozano,
Harpers Magazine,
2 June 2026
Haitian women are having babies in squalid, unsupervised settings after the Dominican Republic started sending immigration agents to detain migrants at hospitals.
—
Alexandra Stevenson Luis Ferré-Sadurní Paul Mozur David French,
New York Times,
2 June 2026
Half Moon Bay, a San Mateo County coastal city of just over 11,000 residents, gained national attention in 2023 when a mass shooting at a farm labor camp exposed the squalid living conditions of farmworkers in the area.
—
Ryan MacAsero,
Mercury News,
29 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for squalid
Recent Examples of Synonyms for squalid
Adjective
-
Margera tried to soothe the pain by submerging his fresh brand in a tub of filthy farm water, which resulted in a life-threatening staph infection that landed him in the hospital.
-
Outside the Lineage warehouse Thursday morning, the smell of heavy smoke was already being replaced with that of spoiling food and filthy water.
Adjective
-
Powerful, rich people filled the lawn to watch a violent sport that ended with a vile and racist comment.
-
That person is referring to heavyweight Josh Hokit, who is facing widespread backlash for making a vile joke about former first lady Michelle Obama after winning his match over Derrick Lewis.
Adjective
-
All 182 guest rooms were given a fresh coat of dusty rose paint, new custom carpet, furniture and upgraded bathrooms.
-
At the same time, her eyes were free of the ultimate Millennial marker, winged liner, and colored with a melting pot of brown, bronze and dusty gray shadow, visible in her waterline, too.
Adjective
-
Completing the hat trick in pitiful style, Taking on the World was shot on a shoestring budget, helmed by the man behind Highlander III, and forced to rely on stock footage of real-life footballers.
-
Given the national team’s pitiful demise at the Oval, with New Zealand completing victory on the fifth morning, Ben Stokes’ revival in absentia feels like the only consolation from a miserable week.
Adjective
-
The rapid spread of the disease is exacerbated by the nature of gold mining, which involves muddy pits filled with miners surrounding the town.
-
Catfish and carp, on the other hand, are true bottom feeders, hence the muddy flavor injection in their flesh.
Adjective
-
Predictions: Jamie Bell, Charlie Hunnam, Oscar Isaac, Matthew Macfadyen, Matthew Rhys A loaded category is headlined by Carey Mulligan’s fierce, contemptible, often hilarious performance as Oscar Isaac’s fed-up wife in Beef.
-
The habits that sustain this treaty and this climate are precisely those that radicals on all sides find contemptible: compromise, procedural fidelity, the refusal to go for broke.
Adjective
-
Most notably, though, is its easy-to-clean material, which one flight attendant appreciates when up against dirty baggage claims and surprise spills.
-
Crafted with Grey Goose vodka and Carpano Dry Vermouth, the cocktail is prepared to each guest’s preference—whether dry, dirty, extra dirty, shaken or stirred—from the restaurant’s signature martini cart.
Adjective
-
French broadcaster French Pierron was under fire for calling childbirth 'a disgusting moment.
-
How to make the moment scary but watchable, disgusting but entrancing?
Cite this Entry
“Squalid.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/squalid. Accessed 3 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
