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
As the Strangers methodically begin their sordid work, Maya hangs out, smokes pot, checks the door and noodles on a piano.
—Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 16 May 2024
The students are protesting the whole sordid affair.
—Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 14 May 2024
This pattern, reproductive-justice experts say, reflects the race and class biases plaguing the U.S. medical system and extends a sordid and long-standing history of America’s attempts to engineer who reproduces.
—Alana Semuels, TIME, 13 May 2024
This year’s redevelopment effort is renamed the Reconnecting Communities Redevelopment Act, but – as this Editorial Board has opined – a cute new name doesn’t hide redevelopment’s sordid history.
—Steven Greenhut, Orange County Register, 10 May 2024
The investigation lays out a sordid entanglement involving romantic relationships, betrayal and political machinations unfolding in a quiet rural town where Célestin, one of the country’s most powerful lawmakers and a close collaborator of President Jovenel Moïse, also lived.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 8 May 2024
Jonathan Turley, always eager to defend the former president, complained about the judge allowing Daniels such a broad scope in her testimony, which inevitably led to all the sordid details.
—Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 7 May 2024
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
Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 16 May 2024
The students are protesting the whole sordid affair.
—Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 14 May 2024
This pattern, reproductive-justice experts say, reflects the race and class biases plaguing the U.S. medical system and extends a sordid and long-standing history of America’s attempts to engineer who reproduces.
—Alana Semuels, TIME, 13 May 2024
This year’s redevelopment effort is renamed the Reconnecting Communities Redevelopment Act, but – as this Editorial Board has opined – a cute new name doesn’t hide redevelopment’s sordid history.
—Steven Greenhut, Orange County Register, 10 May 2024
The investigation lays out a sordid entanglement involving romantic relationships, betrayal and political machinations unfolding in a quiet rural town where Célestin, one of the country’s most powerful lawmakers and a close collaborator of President Jovenel Moïse, also lived.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 8 May 2024
Jonathan Turley, always eager to defend the former president, complained about the judge allowing Daniels such a broad scope in her testimony, which inevitably led to all the sordid details.
—Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 7 May 2024
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
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 19 May. 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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