filth

noun

ˈfilth 

1

: foul or putrid matter

especially : loathsome dirt or refuse

2

a

: moral corruption or defilement

b

: something that tends to corrupt or defile

Synonyms

• crud
• dirt
• grime
• gunk
• muck
• smut
• soil

Examples of filth in a Sentence

He emerged from the cellar covered in filth.

the filth of the slaughterhouse

living in filth and squalor

Recent Examples on the Web

Looking the Part If filth means people treat you worse, then fancy clothes mean people in Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 treat you better. —Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Newsweek, 4 Feb. 2025

In this raucous odyssey a wanton minx quests hard across a dreamy landscape of smut, filth and psychics, hustling to lift a curse that has been f*cking her sh*t up. —Matt Grobar, Deadline, 22 Jan. 2025

Hollywood’s ghosts fill Lynch’s work, and so does its muck and its filth. —Manohla Dargis, New York Times, 17 Jan. 2025

Living in filth on a subway bench is a prime example. —New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 15 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old English fȳlth, from fūl foul

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

filth

noun

ˈfilth 

1

: disgusting dirt or waste

2

: something that tends to disgust, offend, or dirty