1
as in filthy
severely lacking in cleanliness
The squalid boarding house was overrun with rats.
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2
as in vile
not moral or honest
The whole squalid affair will rightly end the politician's public career.
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of squalid
The suit alleged that Evergreen failed to pay at least $3 million of vulnerable workers’ earned wages, illegally charged rent for squalid housing, and maintained a culture of fear and violence.
—
Forum News Service, Twin Cities, 6 Feb. 2025
Harper also got stuck with a paralytic, leading her to collapse to the squalid floor, while the unseen killer scurried away.
—Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 1 Feb. 2025
Workers complained of verbal and physical abuse, bosses threatening to send them back to their home countries and squalid living conditions.
—Sam Tabachnik, The Denver Post, 31 Jan. 2025
Many January 6 defendants have protested inhumane prison conditions, including physical abuse, retaliation, and deprivation of food and heat, in a squalid D.C. jail from which several hundred were relocated after a U.S. Marshals Service investigation.
—Paul Du Quenoy, Newsweek, 7 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for squalid
Forum News Service, Twin Cities, 6 Feb. 2025
Harper also got stuck with a paralytic, leading her to collapse to the squalid floor, while the unseen killer scurried away.
—Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 1 Feb. 2025
Workers complained of verbal and physical abuse, bosses threatening to send them back to their home countries and squalid living conditions.
—Sam Tabachnik, The Denver Post, 31 Jan. 2025
Many January 6 defendants have protested inhumane prison conditions, including physical abuse, retaliation, and deprivation of food and heat, in a squalid D.C. jail from which several hundred were relocated after a U.S. Marshals Service investigation.
—Paul Du Quenoy, Newsweek, 7 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for squalid
Recent Examples of Synonyms for squalid
Adjective
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These words are so filthy, even 40 years later, that Tribune editors will only allow an edited version to be included here.—
Kori Rumore,
Chicago Tribune,
11 July 2025
-
The girl is so filthy that just one look at her gets across the idea that this lifestyle is repellent.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
10 July 2025
Adjective
-
The tweets, a vile departure from Elmo’s often inspiring and motivational social media cadence, were sent on July 13 and promptly taken down.—
Zack Sharf,
Variety,
14 July 2025
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Michael Kracker, the chair of the Erie County Republican Committee, posted the image on X, formerly Twitter, describing it as vile.—
Marni Rose McFall,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 July 2025
Adjective
-
Tim Petrillo, one of the developers behind the $500 million project, donned a hard hat on a sweltering Tuesday and peered out at the dusty construction site at Northwest First Avenue, just north of Northwest Fifth Street.—
Susannah Bryan,
Sun Sentinel,
14 July 2025
-
Jameson had a customer who turned his dusty garage into a workshop by running extension cords along the floor to a workbench.—
The Washington Post,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
12 July 2025
Adjective
-
And at times, in certain places and situations, it was expected and welcome—on a long walk, or when a person confessed something pitiful, or at a funeral or a party.—
Zadie Smith,
New Yorker,
30 June 2025
-
This could have been a sad or pitiful moment; instead, it was suffused with warmth.—
Rob Sheffield,
Rolling Stone,
12 June 2025
Adjective
-
Fucci, who was staying near the Guadalupe River, filmed on her phone a torrent of muddy water flooding the road to her grandmother's house.—
Susan Miller,
USA Today,
6 July 2025
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Navy blue and sage green have become go-to choices but are losing their charm; opt for moody hues like muddy green, rust, or confident forest green instead.—
Tessa Cooper,
Southern Living,
5 July 2025
Adjective
-
The death of Pope Francis, sadly, has not escaped the attention of these truly contemptible criminals.—
Davey Winder,
Forbes.com,
24 Apr. 2025
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At the time, some of LeBron’s critics saw this as contemptible.—
Ross Andersen,
The Atlantic,
16 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Environmentalists and labor rights activists have complained that China's graphite mining and production is dirty and dangerous.—
Rick Barrett,
jsonline.com,
7 July 2025
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Employees get their hands dirty in the intro course by learning how to prompt, then move to more advanced courses on building custom GPTs and agents.—
Melissa Daimler,
Forbes.com,
7 July 2025
Adjective
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Danny DeVito, who plays the hilarious and disgusting Frank Reynolds on Always Sunny, used to be married to a fellow comedy legend, Rhea Perlman.—
Allison DeGrushe Published,
EW.com,
9 July 2025
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July 7, 2025 Homa included another message from a fan that is far too disgusting to even reiterate.—
Kendall Capps,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Squalid.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/squalid. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.
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