squalor

noun

Definition of squalornext
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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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 squalor Amid the squalor and chaos of a Provincetown kitchen, Anthony Bourdain found his—and Tony did, too. — Justin Chang, New Yorker, 7 Aug. 2026 Watts played Rose Mary Walls, the mother of a nomadic family living in poverty and squalor. — Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 4 Aug. 2026 The children reportedly lived in squalor and weren’t enrolled in school. — Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 27 June 2026 Reform and Restore are no doubt relying on support from pockets of deprivation, squalor and neglect in Makerfield. — Alexander Smith, NBC news, 18 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for squalor
Recent Examples of Synonyms for squalor
  1. staining
  2. dinge
  3. dirtiness
  4. sordidness
  5. messiness
Noun
  • If the weather is both hot and humid, the yellow staining can’t be washed out, forcing brands to dye the wool a darker color, affecting the final product design.
    — Bella Webb, Vogue, 29 Oct. 2026
  • Bleach is genuinely good at killing mildew and lifting the biological staining that makes white grout look gray.
    — Daley Quinn, Southern Living, 12 Sep. 2026
Definition of staining
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
Definition of dinge
Noun
  • During heavy-use seasons such as winter and summer, check your filter for dirtiness at least once a month.
    — Abby Monteil, The Spruce, 31 Oct. 2026
  • For Damien dirtiness brought him closer to godliness, the grime evidence of his graft.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 20 July 2026
Definition of dirtiness
Noun
  • He later got swept up in the sword-and-sandal sordidness of Caligula (1979).
    — Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 29 Oct. 2026
  • The only other person in the 21st century who might’ve had as uncanny an ability to look beneath the sordidness and sorrow of red carpets and walks of fame to find truth and even poetry might be David Lynch.
    — Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 23 July 2026
Definition of sordidness
Noun
  • The fight sequences have an engaging messiness, the characters often fumbling around rather than delivering expert moves.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2026
  • One imagines Dahl, whose sometimes monstrous characters captured childhood in all its messiness, would be relieved.
    — Alison Herman, Variety, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of messiness

Browse Nearby Words

squally
squalor
squamous
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Squalor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/squalor. Accessed 3 Nov. 2026.

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