1
as in filthy
severely lacking in cleanliness
The squalid boarding house was overrun with rats.
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in vile
not moral or honest
The whole squalid affair will rightly end the politician's public career.
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of squalid
Williamson moves through an endless parade of squalid apartments (as well as higher-end residences where upper-class participants in the heroin ring at the movie’s center live), each of which has its own unique character.
—
Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 24 Feb. 2025
At its height, the war displaced abou 90% of the population, mostly within the territory, where hundreds of thousands packed into squalid tent camps and schools repurposed as shelters.
—Samy Magdy, Chicago Tribune, 4 Mar. 2025
Around 90% of Gaza's population has been displaced, often multiple times, with hundreds of thousands of people living in squalid tent camps or shuttered schools.
—Bradford Betz, Fox News, 30 Jan. 2025
Around 90% of Gaza’s population has been displaced, often multiple times, with hundreds of thousands of people living in squalid tent camps or shuttered schools.
—Mohammad Jahjouh, Chicago Tribune, 30 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for squalid
Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 24 Feb. 2025
At its height, the war displaced abou 90% of the population, mostly within the territory, where hundreds of thousands packed into squalid tent camps and schools repurposed as shelters.
—Samy Magdy, Chicago Tribune, 4 Mar. 2025
Around 90% of Gaza's population has been displaced, often multiple times, with hundreds of thousands of people living in squalid tent camps or shuttered schools.
—Bradford Betz, Fox News, 30 Jan. 2025
Around 90% of Gaza’s population has been displaced, often multiple times, with hundreds of thousands of people living in squalid tent camps or shuttered schools.
—Mohammad Jahjouh, Chicago Tribune, 30 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for squalid
Recent Examples of Synonyms for squalid
Adjective
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Aurangzeb imprisoned his ailing father in 1658 and defeated his brother the year after, before forcibly parading him in chains on a filthy elephant on the streets of Delhi.—
Rhea Mogul,
CNN Money,
18 Apr. 2025
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The network has ordered Gordon Ramsay’s Secret Service, which will see the celebrity chef go undercover to rescue America’s filthiest restaurants.—
Peter White,
Deadline,
10 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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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
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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
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On the outskirts of Lima, Peru, locals stumbled upon some dusty items in a vacant lot.—
Aspen Pflughoeft,
Miami Herald,
9 Apr. 2025
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Meanwhile, Andrea Taylor, owner of Andrea Marino Design in Dallas, Texas, has noticed an uptick in mauve, dusty blue, and butter yellow fabrics.—
Quincy Bulin,
Southern Living,
8 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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But the modern Democratic Party, rudderless and confused and reeling from a pitiful collective performance during Tuesday evening's presidential joint address to Congress, now confronts a fork in the road that's no joke.—
Newsweek,
Newsweek,
7 Mar. 2025
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In the director’s world, fathers are pitiful providers, mothers are blandly cheerful (while quietly suffering enormously), and the kids see far more than their parents do.—
Tim Grierson,
Vulture,
21 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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The Ukrainian marine corps’ 34th, 39th and 40th Coastal Defense Brigades—new units largely equipped with light vehicles that are suitable for operations on muddy terrain—anchor Ukrainian defenses in Kherson.—
David Axe,
Forbes.com,
9 Apr. 2025
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Ask any gardener: Gardening shoes are a must for messy, wet, or muddy tasks in flower beds, chicken coops, vegetable gardens, or anywhere else your everyday shoes don’t stand a chance.—
Miles Walls,
Better Homes & Gardens,
4 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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At the time, some of LeBron’s critics saw this as contemptible.—
Ross Andersen,
The Atlantic,
16 Mar. 2025
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Civil-liberties organizations have defended neo-Nazis and the Ku Klux Klan on the basis that, unless there is free speech for the most contemptible members of society, there cannot be free speech for all.—
Jay Caspian Kang,
The New Yorker,
14 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Listen to this article Surrounded by coal miners, President Donald Trump signed an executive order vowing to roll back his predecessor’s policies limiting lung-damaging, climate-changing pollution from power plants that burn the planet’s dirtiest source of energy.—
Michael Hawthorne,
Chicago Tribune,
13 Apr. 2025
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The floors are getting dirty and workers have no access to vacuums or mops.—
Lisa Song,
ProPublica,
11 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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These were disgusting, irresponsible comments by someone who is charged with overseeing public health for hundreds of millions of people.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Apr. 2025
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Do not tell the patient disgusting hospital stories about your own operations or procedures.—
Marla Jo Fisher,
Oc Register,
2 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Squalid.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/squalid. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
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