1
: marked by baseness or grossness : vile
sordid motives
3
: meanly avaricious : covetous
4
: of a dull or muddy color
sordidly
adverb
sordidness
noun
Synonyms
Examples of sordid in a Sentence
And Vermes's story is also in part an international thriller, especially with the high-level goings-on around the Scrolls. The full sordid tale of spite, scholarly selfishness, and undisguised anti-Semitism, which kept access to the Dead Sea texts restricted for decades to a tiny cartel, unwinds in his pages.
—
Paula Fredriksen, New Republic, 15 Oct. 2001
Another reporter working to verify the book's charges ended up unmasking author James Hatfield's sordid past, revealing how little the publisher knew about its author …
—Jennifer Greenstein, Brill's Content, February 2000
In fact, audiences now have become so blasé about accounts of celebrities' sordid personal lives that some stars are turning potential publicity nightmares into confessional coups.
—Stephen Rebello, Vibe, May 1999
He shared the sordid details of his past.
he managed to rise above the sordid streets upon which he grew up
Paula Fredriksen, New Republic, 15 Oct. 2001
Another reporter working to verify the book's charges ended up unmasking author James Hatfield's sordid past, revealing how little the publisher knew about its author …
—Jennifer Greenstein, Brill's Content, February 2000
In fact, audiences now have become so blasé about accounts of celebrities' sordid personal lives that some stars are turning potential publicity nightmares into confessional coups.
—Stephen Rebello, Vibe, May 1999
He shared the sordid details of his past.
he managed to rise above the sordid streets upon which he grew up
Recent Examples on the Web
Bud is the vehicle Wagner uses to inform us about the movie business and the late 1980s in this humorous romp through Hollywood’s sordid underbelly.
—Matt Brennan, Los Angeles Times, 19 Apr. 2024
But in the sordid denouement of what will surely rank as one of the most disturbing crimes in recent memory, even O.J. Simpson’s most stalwart fans may soon have to rethink their position.
—Susan Schindehette, Peoplemag, 11 Apr. 2024
Comedy nerds and oddballs of all stripes embraced the show, especially its singularly off-putting heroine, a woman with a garish overbite, a sordid past and a strangely infectious nasal drawl.
—Meredith Blake, Los Angeles Times, 7 Apr. 2024
Yet the series only occasionally considers how James is regarded by his public, or contextualizes this sordid chapter within larger British history, or tries to trace the consequences of these events to the present.
—Angie Han, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Apr. 2024
However, this sordid episode reflects truly troubling ways that the U.S. media ...
—Roger Ream, National Review, 28 Mar. 2024
Whatever lies beneath Amazon’s sordid underbelly doesn’t unilaterally negate the genuine good a service like Amazon Pharmacy can have on the world.
—Steven Aquino, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024
Fat-shaming has a long and sordid history, but now, as use of semaglutides becomes more commonplace, a new chapter in the blame and shame game has opened up, with judgment applied to people who choose to use these medicines.
—Fiorella Valdesolo, Vogue, 14 Mar. 2024
Jackie is at the gym to prepare for a bodybuilding competition, but she’s drawn into a sordid plot involving Lou’s estranged family, a web of ghastly and sometimes homicidal misfits.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 12 Mar. 2024
Matt Brennan, Los Angeles Times, 19 Apr. 2024
But in the sordid denouement of what will surely rank as one of the most disturbing crimes in recent memory, even O.J. Simpson’s most stalwart fans may soon have to rethink their position.
—Susan Schindehette, Peoplemag, 11 Apr. 2024
Comedy nerds and oddballs of all stripes embraced the show, especially its singularly off-putting heroine, a woman with a garish overbite, a sordid past and a strangely infectious nasal drawl.
—Meredith Blake, Los Angeles Times, 7 Apr. 2024
Yet the series only occasionally considers how James is regarded by his public, or contextualizes this sordid chapter within larger British history, or tries to trace the consequences of these events to the present.
—Angie Han, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Apr. 2024
However, this sordid episode reflects truly troubling ways that the U.S. media ...
—Roger Ream, National Review, 28 Mar. 2024
Whatever lies beneath Amazon’s sordid underbelly doesn’t unilaterally negate the genuine good a service like Amazon Pharmacy can have on the world.
—Steven Aquino, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024
Fat-shaming has a long and sordid history, but now, as use of semaglutides becomes more commonplace, a new chapter in the blame and shame game has opened up, with judgment applied to people who choose to use these medicines.
—Fiorella Valdesolo, Vogue, 14 Mar. 2024
Jackie is at the gym to prepare for a bodybuilding competition, but she’s drawn into a sordid plot involving Lou’s estranged family, a web of ghastly and sometimes homicidal misfits.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 12 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sordid.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near sordid
Cite this Entry
“Sordid.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sordid. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
sordid
adjective
sor·did
ˈsȯrd-əd 
1
: very dirty : filthy
sordid surroundings
2
: vile sense 1a
a sordid life
3
: meanly greedy : covetous
sordidly
adverb
sordidness
noun
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