sordid

adjective

SOR-did/ˈsɔɹdɪd/UKSAW-did/ˈsɔː.dɪd/

Formssordider, sordidest

5 meanings of sordid

1
distastefuladjective
So low and nasty that it is unpleasant and people look down on it.
The news story told every sordid detail of the fight between the two families.
I didn't want to listen to his sordid jokes about other people's troubles.
Similarsleazy, seedy, vile, squalid, base
Oppositenoble, honorable, admirable
2
filthy placeadjective
Dirty, or very dirty and falling apart.
The family lived in a sordid little apartment with no hot water.
The restrooms at the bus station were sordid and smelled terrible.
Similarsqualid, filthy, dirty, seedy, grimy
Oppositeclean, spotless
3
greedyadjective
Wanting money very much and not wanting to spend it or share it.
Her sordid uncle kept all the money and gave nothing to anyone.
He was too sordid to pay his workers what he owed them.
Similarmercenary, grasping, greedy, avaricious
Oppositegenerous, selfless
4
adjective
Shameful and wrong in a way that makes people morally worse.
After the sordid affair, she could not look her husband in the eye.
He was ashamed of his sordid past and never talked about it.
Similarsleazy, shameful, degrading, squalid, seedy
Oppositehonorable, respectable
Note

Less common meaning

5
dingy coloradjective
Used in science about living things to mean dull in color.
The beetle's back is a sordid brown that hides it against the dirt.
The guide says the flowers turn sordid yellow as they get old.
Similardingy, dull
Oppositebright, clear
Note

Practice

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Origin

From the Latin word sordidus.