sordid

[sawr-did]

adjective

1. morally ignoble or base; vile.

   sordid methods.

   Synonyms: depraved, degraded
   Antonyms: honorable

2. meanly selfish, self-seeking, or mercenary.

   Synonyms: stingy, close, tight, avaricious
   Antonyms: generous

3. dirty or filthy.

   Synonyms: foul, unclean
   Antonyms: clean

4. squalid; wretchedly poor and run-down.

   sordid housing.

sordid

/ ˈsɔːdɪd /

adjective

1. dirty, foul, or squalid

2. degraded; vile; base

   a sordid affair

3. selfish and grasping

   sordid avarice

Other Word Forms

• sordidly adverb
• sordidness noun
• unsordid adjective
• unsordidly adverb
• unsordidness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of sordid¹

1590–1600; from Latin sordidus, equivalent to sord(ēs) “dirt” + -idus -id ⁴

Word History and Origins

Origin of sordid¹

C16: from Latin sordidus, from sordēre to be dirty

Synonym Study

See mean ².

Example Sentences

Roberts expressed his frustration at the time, writing that it “is a sordid business, this divvying us up by race.”

From Los Angeles Times

The president seemed eager to move on, calling the Epstein case "sordid, but it's boring" while also blaming Democrats for continuing to make it an issue.

From BBC

But sordid details emerged during the legal cases, revealing a darker side.

From BBC

Chu has spent a decade trying to bring accountability to immigration detention and knows this sordid industry better than any.

From Los Angeles Times

Those fingers come with a long, skeletal middle digit equipped with a ball-and-socket joint for horrifying dexterity, like the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come beckoning Ebenezer Scrooge to gaze upon his own sordid death.

From Salon

Related Words

• disreputable 
• nasty 
• shameful 
• sleazy 
• squalid 
• vile