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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

Example 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 However, history has proven that male rappers can still thrive despite the most sordid allegations. Kyndall Cunningham, Vox, 17 Mar. 2025 The two have a sordid mission to coordinate, but first Mullins reflects on the good old days, namely 9/11 and George W. Bush. Stephen Rodrick, Rolling Stone, 9 Mar. 2025 Read the issue » The result was a little frightening in its modern sense of detachment; in its remote, authoritative rigor; and in its gimlet-eyed, Olympian overview of clearly sordid motives. Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 10 Feb. 2025 In a state and city so afflicted by the culture of corruption, as the Tribune reported exhaustively last year in a series of pieces tracing our sordid history, federal prosecutors have played an indispensable role in unearthing these stories and making our politicians pay for abusing their offices. The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 12 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for sordid
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sordid
Adjective
  • Chicagoans will have no one to hold accountable at the ballot box when the buses don’t arrive and rail stations are filthy and crime-ridden.
    Forrest Claypool, Chicago Tribune, 14 Mar. 2025
  • The plastic waste China received was filthy, much of it too dirty to be cleaned, shredded, and turned into new plastic.
    Scott W. Stern, The Atlantic, 10 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Snow White gets a much more meaningful backstory The original Disney film begins with a few short sentences about how Snow White was forced to work as a scullery maid for her vile stepmother, the Queen.
    Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY, 21 Mar. 2025
  • Newsweek's efforts to politicize the death of these individuals, including the reporter's request to confirm names and locations of death, are vile.
    Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 19 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • This can get unsanitary since the dust can circulate in the air of your home, and for some models, dusty coils can affect how efficiently your fridge cools.
    Daley Quinn, Southern Living, 30 Mar. 2025
  • The petrified bones of extinct horses, ground sloths, cheetahs and bears have been uncovered from the dusty layers of time exposed here.
    Ernie Cowan, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • The scene will portray oil workers getting in their trucks and heading to work, thus a dirty vehicle is a must.
    Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 Apr. 2025
  • To understand the increasing flow of dirty stormwater into the system, Miami Waterkeeper and Miami-Dade County put together an audit of the stormwater systems among different municipalities in 2022.
    Courtney Heath, Miami Herald, 1 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • The search effort -- which included law enforcement and military personnel from several countries -- was complicated by the muddy conditions and unstable ground, officials said.
    Emily Shapiro, ABC News, 1 Apr. 2025
  • In the summer of ’69, hundreds of thousands of people converged on a muddy New York farm to soak in music by artists that Pink Floyd had gigged with: Jimi Hendrix, the Who, and Ten Years After, among them.
    Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 28 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • His other performances included as Robert De Niro’s nasty henchman in Michael Mann’s Heat (1995); as Marlon Brando’s insane assistant in John Frankenheimer’s The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996) and as the suave crook Simon Templar in Phillip Noyce’s The Saint (1997).
    Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 2 Apr. 2025
  • The veteran forward took a nasty fall with 3:21 left in the fourth quarter, landed hard on his tailbone, and spent minutes down on the court surrounded by teammates and coaches.
    C.J. Holmes, New York Daily News, 30 Mar. 2025
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
  • Firms carrying out an immoral contract in court may face other discipline.
    Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Apr. 2025
  • This legislation made its way through Congress back then in part because there was societal acceptance of the false belief that the Chinese were immutably immoral and threatening.
    Agustina Vergara Cid, Oc Register, 30 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Sordid.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sordid. Accessed 13 Apr. 2025.

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