sordid

American  

[sawr-did] / ˈsɔr dɪd /

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.

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sordid British  

/ ˈsɔːdɪd /

adjective

1. dirty, foul, or squalid

2. degraded; vile; base

   a sordid affair

3. selfish and grasping

   sordid avarice

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Related Words

See mean ².

Other Word Forms

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

Etymology

Origin of sordid

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

Example Sentences

Long before his role in the Epstein case came to light, Brunel already had a sordid reputation in the fashion world.

From The Wall Street Journal

Bridger was described by those who knew him as "always confident, courteous and charming" but when police seized his computer, a sordid secret was revealed.

From BBC

For those outside the citadel—anti-boomer millennials, Gen Z, the underpaid and aggrieved—the Epstein revelations tell a sordid story they’ve long suspected.

From The Wall Street Journal

Meanwhile, the locals continued to pursue their delightfully sordid lifestyles with a lot more personal privacy than would seem likely in smalltown America.

From The Wall Street Journal

After she nurses him back to health, Matt falls madly in love only to freak out when he learns about her sordid past.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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