as in staining
very bad and dirty conditions
The family was living in squalor. I was shocked by the squalor of their surroundings.
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Recent Examples of squalor
Officers described squalor inside the unlocked apartment.
—
Ryan Murphy, IndyStar, 13 June 2025
The film’s sheer, unrelenting squalor can wear you down, too.
—Stephanie Bunbury, Deadline, 19 May 2025
California’s struggle around homelessness has been a black eye and a contentious soft spot for years, and even the most sympathetic of Californians are tired of the squalor and pain.
—Anita Chabria, Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2025
And what of the fact that Snow White, abandoned in the woods (where the Huntsman is too kindhearted to carry out the Evil Queen’s order to murder her), comes upon a cottage where seven cute, quarrelsome 249-year-old short men with Amish beards live in bachelor squalor and become her protectors?
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 19 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for squalor
Ryan Murphy, IndyStar, 13 June 2025
The film’s sheer, unrelenting squalor can wear you down, too.
—Stephanie Bunbury, Deadline, 19 May 2025
California’s struggle around homelessness has been a black eye and a contentious soft spot for years, and even the most sympathetic of Californians are tired of the squalor and pain.
—Anita Chabria, Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2025
And what of the fact that Snow White, abandoned in the woods (where the Huntsman is too kindhearted to carry out the Evil Queen’s order to murder her), comes upon a cottage where seven cute, quarrelsome 249-year-old short men with Amish beards live in bachelor squalor and become her protectors?
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 19 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for squalor
Recent Examples of Synonyms for squalor
Noun
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Critically, the ancient teeth from betel nut chewers are distinguishable because of red staining.—
Elizabeth Rayne,
ArsTechnica,
19 Aug. 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
Noun
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As well as being a bold reimagining, The Roses puts a refreshing twist on the pressures of success and the trappings of modern life, the risks of making our careers our identity, and the messiness of modern relationships and family.—
Simon Thompson,
Forbes.com,
28 Aug. 2025
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The coming-of-age drama does a great job at capturing the messiness of young love, but off-screen, several of the cast members are in happy, long-term relationships.—
Kelsey Lentz,
People.com,
28 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Squalor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/squalor. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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