Synonyms of sordid

sordid

adjective

ˈsȯr-dəd 

1

as in filthy

not clean

he managed to rise above the sordid streets upon which he grew up

Synonyms & Similar Words

• filthy
• dusty
• dirty
• muddy
• blackened
• stained
• nasty
• black
• messy
• grimy
• dingy
• greasy
• grubby
• smudged
• smutty
• mucky
• soiled
• unclean
• polluted
• foul
• grungy
• begrimed
• sloppy
• chaotic
• grotty
• bedraggled
• sullied
• uncleanly
• cruddy
• draggled
• befouled
• besmirched
• contaminated
• messed
• impure
• unsanitary
• bemired
• confused
• insanitary
• tainted
• littered
• squalid
• unwashed
• cluttered
• sleazy
• slovenly
• muddled
• unsterile
• untidy
• raunchy
• disordered
• jumbled
• shabby
• uncleaned
• unkempt
• scruffy
• disheveled
• unsterilized
• rumpled
• defiled
• germy
• disarranged
• sooty
• scuzzy
• skanky
• fuliginous
• gunky
• disarrayed
• mussy
• mussed
• crocked
• collied

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• unsullied
• clean
• pure
• immaculate
• spotless
• stainless
• clear
• unstained
• unsoiled
• spick-and-span
• limpid
• neat
• ultraclean
• cleanly
• orderly
• tidy
• cleaned
• cleansed
• perfect
• shiny
• groomed
• bleached
• untouched
• ordered
• bright
• combed
• wholesome
• sparkling
• whitened
• purified
• flawless
• unpolluted
• untainted
• unspotted
• unblemished
• virgin
• undefiled
• taintless

2

as in vile

not following or in accordance with standards of honor and decency

a sordid affair involving bribery and corruption in high places

Synonyms & Similar Words

• vile
• dirty
• nasty
• immoral
• cruel
• vicious
• ignoble
• corrupt
• ignominious
• contemptible
• detestable
• despicable
• wretched
• dishonorable
• bad
• low-down
• execrable
• evil
• snide
• mean
• paltry
• base
• low-minded
• wicked
• low
• foul
• currish
• wrong
• iniquitous
• depraved
• perverted
• reprehensible
• debauched
• shameful
• dissolute
• miscreant
• debased
• degenerate
• villainous
• disgraceful
• censurable
• disreputable
• discreditable
• unscrupulous
• unprincipled
• blameworthy
• atrocious
• blamable
• unethical
• unworthy

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• noble
• high
• virtuous
• lofty
• honorable
• moral
• ethical
• straight
• honest
• venerable
• upright
• righteous
• good
• scrupulous
• excellent
• just
• principled
• exemplary
• right
• proper
• high-minded
• commendable
• respectable
• decent
• reputable
• blameless
• guiltless
• seemly
• right-minded
• irreproachable
• incorruptible
• uncorrupted
• unerring

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective sordid differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of sordid are abject, ignoble, and mean. While all these words mean "being below the normal standards of human decency and dignity," sordid is stronger than all of these in stressing physical or spiritual degradation and abjectness.

a sordid story of murder and revenge

Where would abject be a reasonable alternative to sordid?

While in some cases nearly identical to sordid, abject may imply degradation, debasement, or servility.

abject poverty

When might ignoble be a better fit than sordid?

The synonyms ignoble and sordid are sometimes interchangeable, but ignoble suggests a loss or lack of some essential high quality of mind or spirit.

an ignoble scramble after material possessions

When can mean be used instead of sordid?

The words mean and sordid can be used in similar contexts, but mean suggests small-mindedness, ill temper, or cupidity.

mean and petty satire

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of sordid

For the sixth consecutive season, one of the WNBA’s legacy franchises has come apart at the seams, tattering the franchise’s three-championship history with a sordid record that mandates a clear response. — Los Angeles Times, 29 July 2026

Perhaps her death has haunted her legacy so tenaciously not just because of its sordid details, but because her art is so imbued with a swirl of both impermanence and vitality. — Eliza Goodpasture, ARTnews.com, 15 July 2026

Writing a sordid prose poem was suddenly a fruitful endeavor. — Literary Hub, 13 July 2026

And all of American history, all of the best elements of American history, were made possible by the seemingly sordid act in 1850. — David Frum, The Atlantic, 1 July 2026