SORDID Synonyms: 192 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

sordid

adjective

ˈsȯr-dəd

Definition of sordid

as in filthy

not clean he managed to rise above the sordid streets upon which he grew up

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in vile

not following or in accordance with standards of honor and decency a sordid affair involving bribery and corruption in high places

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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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 And all of American history, all of the best elements of American history, were made possible by the seemingly sordid act in 1850. — David Frum, The Atlantic, 1 July 2026 The sordid tale of the Murdaughs unfolded in the public eye during a boom in true crime media, when actual instances of death and deception could hardly keep up with the demand for packaging and repackaging sinister stories of shocking human behavior. — Andrea Marks, Rolling Stone, 25 May 2026 The show is set to be led by writer Drew Crevello, who brought the sordid WeWork backstory to life with the miniseries WeCrashed, starring Jared Leto and Anne Hathaway. — Chris Snellgrove, Entertainment Weekly, 22 June 2026 Singer Bradley Nowell drunk-steered his band through sordid anthems, crashing through references to classic ska and dancehall songs, shouting out Rudimentary Peni and Geto Boys, and re-setting the murder ballads and drug sprees of outlaw country in suburban California. — Sadie Sartini Garner, Pitchfork, 15 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for sordid

Recent Examples of Synonyms for sordid

Adjective

From shabby apartments to art experiments to filthy needles—with echoes of Patti Smith and Rebecca Makkai—Adler conjures an era of sorrow borne by too many, too young.

— Hamilton Cain, Time, 7 July 2026
A week after Venezuela’s twin earthquakes, doctors warn untreated wounds, filthy shelters and scarce supplies are fueling a looming wave of infections that could claim more lives.

— Regina Garcia Cano, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2026

Definition of filthy

Adjective

Frazier eagerly reposted a vile lie claiming Israelis drop bombs disguised as toys to murder children—originally posted by a UK activist facing terror charges for backing Hamas.

— Staff, FOXNews.com, 2 July 2026
The congressmen and senators who support this provision should be voted out of office because Section 224 is so vile.

— Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 18 June 2026

Definition of vile

Adjective

All 182 guest rooms were given a fresh coat of dusty rose paint, new custom carpet, furniture and upgraded bathrooms.

— Kailyn Brown, Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2026
At the same time, her eyes were free of the ultimate Millennial marker, winged liner, and colored with a melting pot of brown, bronze and dusty gray shadow, visible in her waterline, too.

— Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 2 July 2026

Definition of dusty

Adjective

Or stands proudly athwart a county that has long demonized it as too dirty, too crime-ridden — in other words, too Latino.

— Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2026
At the center sits a giant mound of dirty work clothes, and hidden speakers play a nonstop whisper of the laborers’ names.

— Jeff Chu, Travel + Leisure, 6 July 2026

Definition of dirty

Adjective

Not even foundations are visible, and a long gravel road toward that part of the island leads past occasional farms and vast swaths of emptiness and then, finally, to a muddy riverbank thick with mosquitos.

— Andrew Carter, Chicago Tribune, 5 July 2026
After all that digging and splashing, a muddy dog still has to come back inside.

— Ryan Brennan, Kansas City Star, 2 July 2026

Definition of muddy

Adjective

Including some rather nasty, big corpo bullies who enlist specialist teams to hunt down clues, and other players, too.

— Grace Dean, Space.com, 1 July 2026
Betty Kovacs, the eldest daughter of comedian Ernie Kovacs who with her sister Kippie and stepmother, actress-singer Edie Adams, was at the center of a nasty custody battle that kept Hollywood riveted in 1962, has died.

— Mike Barnes, HollywoodReporter, 29 June 2026

Definition of nasty

Adjective

Some rabbinic readings attribute Lot’s hesitation to leave Sodom to his immoral greed and inordinate wealth.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 July 2026
Court records show that 60-year-old Bradley Kyle Martin, of Dearborn Heights, is charged with using a computer or internet to communicate with another person to commit a crime and accosting children for immoral purposes.

— DeJanay Booth-Singleton, CBS News, 25 June 2026

Definition of immoral

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sordid

sordidness

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“Sordid.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sordid. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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