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Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective sordid differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of sordid are abject, ignoble, and mean. While all these words mean "being below the normal standards of human decency and dignity," sordid is stronger than all of these in stressing physical or spiritual degradation and abjectness.

a sordid story of murder and revenge

Where would abject be a reasonable alternative to sordid?

While in some cases nearly identical to sordid, abject may imply degradation, debasement, or servility.

abject poverty

When might ignoble be a better fit than sordid?

The synonyms ignoble and sordid are sometimes interchangeable, but ignoble suggests a loss or lack of some essential high quality of mind or spirit.

an ignoble scramble after material possessions

When can mean be used instead of sordid?

The words mean and sordid can be used in similar contexts, but mean suggests small-mindedness, ill temper, or cupidity.

mean and petty satire

Examples 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 sordid The result is a sordid yet realistic portrait of the underbelly of Seoul’s glamorous Gangnam district. Regina Kim, Forbes, 19 Nov. 2024 Russia has never had a James Madison, who pitted ambition against ambition, sordid motives against sordid motives in the U.S. Constitution to arrest tyranny. Bruce Fein, Baltimore Sun, 15 Nov. 2024 The former couple settled the following day, only for other accusers with similarly sordid allegations to come forward in the weeks and months that followed. Jami Ganz, New York Daily News, 2 Nov. 2024 Also located Downtown, The Mob Museum takes visitors on a wild ride through sordid acts of organized crime in town and worldwide. Melinda Sheckells, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for sordid 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sordid
Adjective
  • They were packed in the ships’ holds in filthy conditions reminiscent of their initial arrival in North America, their prospects of freedom largely unchanged by the war.
    Kinsey Gidick, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 Dec. 2024
  • Don't let a little plumbing snafu make your dishwasher filthy.
    Jessica Farthing, Southern Living, 8 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • Not all these lip products are created equal: some leave a weird white cast, and others taste vile.
    The Editors, Outside Online, 29 Nov. 2024
  • The same people supporting a party that has normalized vile behavior are often the same people criticizing educators for their job performance.
    Meghan Hatch-Geary, Hartford Courant, 2 Nov. 2024
Adjective
  • Advertisement So aiming to lure more people off Main Street (a.k.a. U.S. 95) to visit this 31-room motel in the dusty, stark middle of Nevada, Mehar is boosting his creepiness quotient.
    Christopher Reynolds, Los Angeles Times, 3 Dec. 2024
  • The first episode of NBC’s Saturday Night aired live from New York on October 11, 1975, and looked like literal trash — gray, brown, muted, somehow both dusty and wet, with sets that appeared to have been left on the sidewalk for a few days.
    David LaChapelle, Vulture, 2 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • But this flavor swaps dirty diesel for a clean and quiet electric drivetrain built around a 74-kWh battery pack for more than 90 miles (150 km) of hauling over all kinds of challenging terrain.
    Paul Ridden, New Atlas, 9 Dec. 2024
  • The dirty secret is that students don't want to take courses in neo-Marxist nonsense.
    Paul Du Quenoy, Newsweek, 9 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • At the Battle of Waterloo in 1815, heavy rains—likely influenced by the volcanic disruptions—turned the battlefield into a muddy quagmire, delaying Napoleon's attacks and aiding the Allied forces' eventual victory.
    Scott Travers, Forbes, 8 Dec. 2024
  • But in the Northeast and Midwest, that research points to a less concrete loss, of ice fishing and pond skating and dogsledding, and other parts of life that just aren’t as possible in a sopping wet, muddy winter.
    Zoë Schlanger, The Atlantic, 5 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • Wireless Humidifier Another Healthy Home Awards winner, this portable humidifier can sit on top of their desk or nightstand to hydrate dry skin (or help a cold feel a little less nasty).
    Jessica Kasparian, SELF, 10 Dec. 2024
  • Threat researchers have confirmed that a nasty new scam that targets macOS users is being actively exploited by hackers looking to get victims to download malware that will attempt to steal passwords from the keychain as well as through the Chrome, Bravo and Vivaldi web browsers manage others.
    Davey Winder, Forbes, 9 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • In its time open, fueled by fans of its blackened mahi and buttery lobster rolls, owner Mike Smith has expanded his footprint, moving into a larger stall in the popular food hall — which has allowed for a menu expansion, as well.
    Amy Drew Thompson, Orlando Sentinel, 6 Dec. 2022
  • There are no glamorous furnishings — just a French window, its blackened panes suggesting the dark of night.
    Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 26 Oct. 2022
Adjective
  • Regulated sportsbooks find gambling on minors immoral in some respects, but you guys don’t.
    Jay Ginsbach, Forbes, 13 Dec. 2024
  • In a 2022 Pew Research Center study, growing numbers of Americans said members of the other party are dishonest, immoral and closed-minded.
    Rachel Carlson, NPR, 20 Nov. 2024

Thesaurus Entries Near sordid

Cite this Entry

“Sordid.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sordid. Accessed 19 Dec. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on sordid

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