1
: marked by baseness or grossness : vile
sordid motives
3
: meanly avaricious : covetous
4
: of a dull or muddy color
sordidly
adverb
sordidness
noun
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
In a state and city so afflicted by the culture of corruption, as the Tribune reported exhaustively last year in a series of pieces tracing our sordid history, federal prosecutors have played an indispensable role in unearthing these stories and making our politicians pay for abusing their offices.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 12 Mar. 2025
Guantanamo's sordid past includes top secret torture facilities, the inhumane treatment of Haitian asylum seekers fleeing political violence, a concentration camp for people with HIV, and ongoing brutalization of Muslim detainees after 9/11 who were famously waterboarded and otherwise tortured.
—Dan Perry, Newsweek, 19 Feb. 2025
The lawsuit also lists a series of sordid stories from other departments in the school.
—Sara Coello, Charlotte Observer, 3 Feb. 2025
While Stephens is stuffy and stoic, Adam is outgoing but has a sordid past.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 26 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sordid
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The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 12 Mar. 2025
Guantanamo's sordid past includes top secret torture facilities, the inhumane treatment of Haitian asylum seekers fleeing political violence, a concentration camp for people with HIV, and ongoing brutalization of Muslim detainees after 9/11 who were famously waterboarded and otherwise tortured.
—Dan Perry, Newsweek, 19 Feb. 2025
The lawsuit also lists a series of sordid stories from other departments in the school.
—Sara Coello, Charlotte Observer, 3 Feb. 2025
While Stephens is stuffy and stoic, Adam is outgoing but has a sordid past.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 26 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sordid
Cite this Entry
“Sordid.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sordid. Accessed 21 Mar. 2025.
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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