squalid Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. adjective satellite morally degraded
    seedy; seamy; sleazy; sordid.
    • a seedy district
    • the seamy side of life
    • sleazy characters hanging around casinos
    • sleazy storefronts with...dirt on the walls"- Seattle Weekly
    • the sordid details of his orgies stank under his very nostrils"- James Joyce
    • the squalid atmosphere of intrigue and betrayal
  2. adjective satellite foul and run-down and repulsive
    flyblown; sordid.
    • a flyblown bar on the edge of town
    • a squalid overcrowded apartment in the poorest part of town
    • squalid living conditions
    • sordid shantytowns

WordNet

Squal"id adjective
Etymology
L. squalidus, fr. squalere to be foul or filthy.
Definitions
  1. Dirty through neglect; foul; filthy; extremely dirty.
    Uncomed his locks, and squalid his attrie. Dryden.
    Those squalid dens, which are the reproach of large capitals. Macaulay.

Webster 1913