filth

[filth]

See more synonyms for filth on Thesaurus.com

noun

offensive or disgusting dirt or refuse; foul matter: the filth dumped into our rivers.
foul condition: to live in filth.
moral impurity, corruption, or obscenity.

vulgar or obscene language or thought.

Origin of filth

before 1000; Middle English; Old English fȳlth. See foul, -th¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for filth

Contemporary Examples

With the money came the filth, and the contemptuous lewdness you see in the film are based on actual claims in the book.
The Real Wolf of Wall Street: Jordan Belfort’s Vulgar Memoirs
Jimmy So
December 20, 2013
That night, I dreamed of a square, three-story, concrete building that was dark and dingy with filth, dust, and cobwebs.
A Brigham Young University Professor’s Escape from Mormonism
Lynn K. Wilder
October 20, 2013
Adapted from a book by the same author, Filth has arrived with an identical swagger.
The Movie ‘Filth’ Is Fun!
Nico Hines
October 1, 2013
He tried to peddle this filth all over Washington, but not one member of Congress or one member of the press corps would touch it.
Tim Weiner: Shadows of J. Edgar Hoover in the Petraeus Affair
Tim Weiner
November 16, 2012
The head of the BBC Trust, the former governor of Hong Kong, Chris Patten, described the allegations as a “tsunami of filth.”
BBC Scandal Blows Up as Director George Entwistle Resigns
Peter Jukes
November 11, 2012

Historical Examples

Rags and tidiness, filth and cleanliness, lay almost touching.
K
Mary Roberts Rinehart
The posters, maculated with filth, garnished like tapestry the sweep of the curbstone.
The Secret Agent
Joseph Conrad
They no more wanted to be touched by iron than by filth, or foul disease.
Welsh Fairy Tales
William Elliott Griffis
When nobody else can find any filth left, he manages to discover some.
The Three Cities Trilogy, Complete
Emile Zola
She had to wallow in filth instead of having flowers all about her.
L'Assommoir
Emile Zola

British Dictionary definitions for filth

filth

noun

foul or disgusting dirt; refuse
extreme physical or moral uncleanliness; pollution
vulgarity or obscenity, as in language
the filth derogatory, slang the police

Word Origin

Old English fӯlth; related to Old Saxon, Old High German fūlitha; see foul, defile

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for filth

n.

Old English fylð "uncleanness, impurity," from Proto-Germanic *fulitho (cf. Old Saxon fulitha "foulness, filth," Dutch vuilte, Old High German fulida), noun derivative of *fulo- "foul" (see foul (adj.)). A classic case of i-mutation.

filth

Origin of .css-1fxfie5{font-size:22px;}@media (max-width:768px){.css-1fxfie5{font-size:18px;margin:0 10px 10px 0;word-break:break-all;word-wrap:break-word;-webkit-hyphens:auto;-moz-hyphens:auto;-ms-hyphens:auto;hyphens:auto;line-height:22px;}}filth

Examples from the Web for filth

Contemporary Examples

With the money came the filth, and the contemptuous lewdness you see in the film are based on actual claims in the book.

That night, I dreamed of a square, three-story, concrete building that was dark and dingy with filth, dust, and cobwebs.

Adapted from a book by the same author, Filth has arrived with an identical swagger.

He tried to peddle this filth all over Washington, but not one member of Congress or one member of the press corps would touch it.

The head of the BBC Trust, the former governor of Hong Kong, Chris Patten, described the allegations as a “tsunami of filth.”

Historical Examples

Rags and tidiness, filth and cleanliness, lay almost touching.

The posters, maculated with filth, garnished like tapestry the sweep of the curbstone.

They no more wanted to be touched by iron than by filth, or foul disease.

When nobody else can find any filth left, he manages to discover some.

She had to wallow in filth instead of having flowers all about her.

filth

Word Origin

Word Origin and History for filth

n.

Origin of filth