1
as in filthy
not clean
he managed to rise above the sordid streets upon which he grew up
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in vile
not following or in accordance with standards of honor and decency
a sordid affair involving bribery and corruption in high places
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of sordid
Those seven words about the sordid reality TV franchise were really all Bill Maher had to say tonight on HBO’s Real Time of the Oval Office shouting match Friday after showing footage of the very undiplomatic exchange.
—
Dominic Patten, Deadline, 28 Feb. 2025
At first, Thursday’s festivities in Gaza seemed like just another sordid spectacle in a 16-month exhibition of debasement.
—Yair Rosenberg, The Atlantic, 25 Feb. 2025
In a stark contrast to its predecessor, the pop star’s EP tracks chronicled the sordid and grotty bits of celebrity.
—Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 19 Feb. 2025
Yellowstone executive producer David Glasser did not respond to request for comment on the latest filing in the sordid Weinstein saga.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 17 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sordid
Dominic Patten, Deadline, 28 Feb. 2025
At first, Thursday’s festivities in Gaza seemed like just another sordid spectacle in a 16-month exhibition of debasement.
—Yair Rosenberg, The Atlantic, 25 Feb. 2025
In a stark contrast to its predecessor, the pop star’s EP tracks chronicled the sordid and grotty bits of celebrity.
—Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 19 Feb. 2025
Yellowstone executive producer David Glasser did not respond to request for comment on the latest filing in the sordid Weinstein saga.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 17 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sordid
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sordid
Adjective
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In early modern Europe, the filthiest trades (such as tanning) were branded nuisances and forced out of cities and closer to those living at society’s margins.—
Scott W. Stern,
The Atlantic,
10 Mar. 2025
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The beat is straight up filthy, as are the lyrics, written from the point of view of a seductress who is simultaneously a literal murderer.—
James Factora,
Them,
7 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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The Oakland Jewish Alliance, a grassroots organization formed in the wake of these vile acts, has reported over 400 incidents of antisemitic graffiti around the Lake Merritt/Lakeshore neighborhoods in a one-year period.—
Mark Cohen,
The Mercury News,
10 Mar. 2025
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After West went on a series of vile antisemitic rants in the fall of 2022, Donda became collateral damage, with families pulling their children out and several teachers leaving.—
Cheyenne Roundtree,
Rolling Stone,
7 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Its head is outfitted with LED lights that illuminate dark, dusty areas.—
Isabel Garcia,
People.com,
16 Mar. 2025
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For a piece in this week’s issue, Helfand speaks with all parties involved, and even visits Elvis in his current resting place, amid dusty knickknacks and towering piles of junk in an office behind a mechanic’s garage.—
Hannah Jocelyn,
The New Yorker,
14 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Every Look from the 2025 Oscars Red Carpet By Vogue Based on Court of Honor, William P. Wood’s 1991 legal thriller, this Turner Network Television original movie finds Tom Selleck playing a municipal judge who pitches in to help with a government sting operation focused on nailing a dirty judge.—
Nell Beram,
Vogue,
8 Mar. 2025
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More likely, a veteran like Hill or Ford or any number of others — guys who have played a lot and know how to get the dirty work done — could fit.—
Parker Gabriel,
The Denver Post,
7 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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The machinery has previously saved elephants from mud pits, rescued dogs from rivers and even removed camels out of muddy swamps.—
Brenton Blanchet,
People.com,
7 Mar. 2025
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The Panamanian government is forcing some of them into a camp in the muddy rural south of the country, at the edge of the hostile jungles of the Darién Gap.—
Jack Herrera,
The New Yorker,
6 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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And then, to top a nasty joke with a nastier one, he was deemed useless for the final twenty years of his life.—
Jackson Arn,
The New Yorker,
10 Mar. 2025
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Fancy record-cleaning machines like this one from Pro-Ject ($450) use a platter and a vacuum system to physically suck the nasty cleaning solution out of the grooves, with a motor that spins the record in two directions.—
Parker Hall,
WIRED,
8 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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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
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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
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The campaign materials were unequivocal: Worley believed LGBT influences in society were immoral.—
Nick Penzenstadler,
USA TODAY,
4 Mar. 2025
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And so Rose, immortal on the field, with a bat, was judged immoral off it by the saints who guard baseball’s gate.—
Greg Cote,
Miami Herald,
4 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sordid.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sordid. Accessed 22 Mar. 2025.
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