: the quality or state of being squalid
Examples of squalor in a Sentence
The family was living in squalor.
I was shocked by the squalor of their surroundings.
Recent Examples on the Web
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
They are often banned from visiting temples and forced to live apart from higher-caste communities, often in squalor and farther from access to services.
—Esha Mitra, CNN, 22 Feb. 2025
The writer-director revisits an idea that worked well in his screenplay for 2002’s Chicago — paralleling squalor and splendor, with central characters stuck in grim reality seeking escape through Golden Age Hollywood musical fantasy.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Bryant was arrested on Friday after sheriff's deputies found three of her children living in squalor in a condominium.
—Gina Kaufman, USA TODAY, 22 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for squalor
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Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 19 Mar. 2025
They are often banned from visiting temples and forced to live apart from higher-caste communities, often in squalor and farther from access to services.
—Esha Mitra, CNN, 22 Feb. 2025
The writer-director revisits an idea that worked well in his screenplay for 2002’s Chicago — paralleling squalor and splendor, with central characters stuck in grim reality seeking escape through Golden Age Hollywood musical fantasy.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Bryant was arrested on Friday after sheriff's deputies found three of her children living in squalor in a condominium.
—Gina Kaufman, USA TODAY, 22 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for squalor
Cite this Entry
“Squalor.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/squalor. Accessed 12 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
squalor
noun
squa·lor
ˈskwäl-ər 
: filthy or degraded conditions resulting from neglect or lack of money
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