sordid

[sawr-did] / ˈsɔr dɪd /

ADJECTIVE

dirty, bad, low

Synonyms

STRONGEST

disreputable nasty shameful sleazy squalid vile

WEAK

abject avaricious base black calculated corrupt covetous debauched degenerate degraded despicable dowdy filthy foul grasping grubby ignoble impure low-down mean mercenary miserable miserly poor scurvy seedy self-seeking selfish servile shabby slovenly slummy small small-minded unclean uncleanly ungenerous venal vicious wretched

Antonyms

STRONGEST

clean decent good kind nice reputable respectable

WEAK

honorable wonderful

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Bridger was described by those who knew him as "always confident, courteous and charming" but when police seized his computer, a sordid secret was revealed.

From BBC • Feb. 13, 2026

For those outside the citadel—anti-boomer millennials, Gen Z, the underpaid and aggrieved—the Epstein revelations tell a sordid story they’ve long suspected.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 7, 2026

The best evidence of that sordid policy comes from Kissinger’s own National Security Council files, including near-verbatim transcripts of his face-to-face negotiations with communist leaders.

From Salon • Nov. 1, 2025

Yet the boy’s yearning for family outweighs his sordid circumstances.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 16, 2025

Instead, they portrayed Dr. Kane as selflessly helping a young girl rise from her sordid profession by providing a proper education—polishing his image as a kind of super-generous superhero.

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock

Vocabulary lists containing sordid

1984

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Grade 12, List 2

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Heart of Darkness

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