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
Nearly two weeks after San Jose began dismantling its largest homeless encampment, the city is set to open its first-ever safe sleeping site, which will provide tents for dozens of the approximately 370 residents who have lived in dilapidated RVs and squalor at Columbus Park.
—
Devan Patel, Mercury News, 31 Aug. 2025
Gazans have lived in squalor for generations.
—Jeff Robbins, Oc Register, 11 Aug. 2025
Subramanian also found that Combs’ argument that the squalor and danger of the Metropolitan Detention Center, where he is being held, did not warrant release.
—Daniel Arkin, NBC news, 4 Aug. 2025
Combs also argued for release on bail because of the squalor and danger at the Metropolitan Detention Center.
—Aaron Katersky, ABC News, 4 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for squalor
Devan Patel, Mercury News, 31 Aug. 2025
Gazans have lived in squalor for generations.
—Jeff Robbins, Oc Register, 11 Aug. 2025
Subramanian also found that Combs’ argument that the squalor and danger of the Metropolitan Detention Center, where he is being held, did not warrant release.
—Daniel Arkin, NBC news, 4 Aug. 2025
Combs also argued for release on bail because of the squalor and danger at the Metropolitan Detention Center.
—Aaron Katersky, ABC News, 4 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for squalor
Recent Examples of Synonyms for squalor
Noun
-
Even natural staining was preserved—crews deliberately left the rust and mineral stains (efflorescence) on the concrete.—
Srishti Gupta,
Interesting Engineering,
23 Nov. 2025
-
This will avoid causing damage to the sealant and potential staining.—
Patricia Shannon,
Southern Living,
9 Sep. 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
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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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However, its effectiveness in thoroughly cleaning depends on the degree of dirtiness.—
Mary Cornetta,
Better Homes & Gardens,
21 Dec. 2025
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This dirtiness is the crux of the matter for Sherman.—
Naomi Fry,
New Yorker,
6 Dec. 2025
Noun
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Neither Eliot nor Jules suspected anything, and the ease of the deception added to its pleasing sordidness.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
21 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
This is a movie designed to repulse as much attract, and one in which its sheer messiness, its chaos-Muppet energy and its mania gets you uncomfortably close to its unraveling main character’s mindset.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
6 Nov. 2025
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But risk has become uninsurable, and messiness doesn’t test well.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Squalor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/squalor. Accessed 9 Jan. 2026.
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