filth
Americannoun
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offensive or disgusting dirt or refuse; foul matter.
the filth dumped into our rivers.
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foul condition.
to live in filth.
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moral impurity, corruption, or obscenity.
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vulgar or obscene language or thought.
noun
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foul or disgusting dirt; refuse
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extreme physical or moral uncleanliness; pollution
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vulgarity or obscenity, as in language
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derogatory the police
Etymology
Origin of filth
before 1000; Middle English; Old English fȳlth. See foul, -th 1
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.
The ability to let the light shine through the depravity Ms Pelicot was subjected to - the "filth", as she repeatedly calls it - is a testament to her resilience.
From BBC • Feb. 14, 2026
It’s a matter of washing off the filth—with unnatural chemicals, at that—versus never picking up the filth in the first place.
From Slate • Feb. 13, 2026
"We're literally living in filth," said Rakotondrina on a tour permeated by the powerful stench of urine.
From Barron's • Oct. 17, 2025
The harbor neighborhoods are probably the most polluted part of a very polluted city, owing to the filth that the port generates.
From Los Angeles Times • May 24, 2025
But aside from the occasional bounty from Andrius, we had become bottom-feeders, living off filth and rot.
From "Between Shades of Gray" by Ruta Sepetys
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
