squalid

[ skwol-id, skwaw-lid ]

adjective

1. foul and repulsive, as from lack of care or cleanliness; neglected and filthy.

   Synonyms: unclean

2. wretched; miserable; degraded; sordid.

squalid

/ ˈskwɒlɪd; skwɒˈlɪdɪtɪ /

adjective

1. dirty and repulsive, esp as a result of neglect or poverty
2. sordid

Derived Forms

• squalidity, noun
• ˈsqualidly, adverb

Other Words From

• squalid·ly adverb
• squalid·ness squa·lid·i·ty [skwo-, lid, -i-tee], noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of squalid¹

1585–95; < Latin squālidus dirty, equivalent to squāl ( ēre ) to be dirty, encrusted + -idus -id ⁴

Word History and Origins

Origin of squalid¹

C16: from Latin squālidus, from squālēre to be stiff with dirt

Synonym Study

See dirty.

Example Sentences

His memoir, published in 2009, recalled growing up in often squalid conditions as his father sought to evade international intelligence agencies.

From BBC

The facility, which has housed inmates including R. Kelly and Jeffrey Epstein’s associate Ghislaine Maxwell, has a history of violence and squalid conditions.

From Los Angeles Times

The facility, which has housed inmates including R. Kelly, Michael Cohen and Jeffrey Epstein, has a history of violence and squalid conditions.

From Los Angeles Times

A Times investigation last year found that many of the foundation’s more than 1,300 residents live in squalid conditions with dozens under the threat of eviction.

From Los Angeles Times

Some 1,200 inmates were described as sharing "squalid, dirty and cramped" living conditions, in "crumbling" cells built for single occupancy in 1851.

From BBC

Related Words

• dingy
• fetid
• filthy
• grimy
• muddy
• musty
• ramshackle
• seedy
• shabby
• sordid
• wretched