squalid
Grimy and neglected
Squalid describes conditions that are filthy, wretched, and degraded—usually from neglect or poverty.
A squalid apartment has grimy walls, broken fixtures, and garbage piling up.
The word extends to behavior that is morally repugnant or base: a squalid affair, squalid political dealings.
Squalid suggests not just dirt but a kind of hopeless deterioration.
Not clean
- grimyCoated in stubborn dirt
- grubbySoiled and unkempt
- foulOffensive or illegal
- uncleanSoiled or contaminated
soiled · dingy · mucky · grungy · stained · smudged · smeared · contaminated
Worn by age
- ramshackleBadly deteriorated from neglect
- rundownQuick overview of facts
- tumbledownRuined through neglect
- derelictAbandoned or neglectful
shabby · crumbling · deteriorating · decaying · ruinous · disrepair · neglected · unkempt
Morally foul or base
- sleazyDisreputably low-quality
- disreputableHaving poor standing
- seedyRundown and disreputable
- corruptDishonest, open to bribes
depraved · base · vile · ignoble · tawdry · lurid · scandalous · degraded
Utterly without means
- poverty-strickenExtremely poor condition
- penuryExtreme lack of money
- indigentExtremely poor, lacking necessities
- deprivedLacking necessities
underprivileged · slums · homelessness · hand-to-mouth · subsistence · want · privation · hardship
dirty
Not clean
unclean · soiled · dingy · mucky · grungy · stained · smudged · smeared · contaminated · polluted
decrepit
Worn by age
- ramshackleBadly deteriorated from neglect
- rundownQuick overview of facts
- tumbledownRuined through neglect
derelict · shabby · crumbling · deteriorating · decaying · ruinous · disrepair · neglected · unkempt · seedy
sordid
Morally foul or base
- sleazyDisreputably low-quality
- disreputableHaving poor standing
- seedyRundown and disreputable
corrupt · depraved · base · vile · ignoble · tawdry · lurid · scandalous · degraded · debased
destitute
Utterly without means
- poverty-strickenExtremely poor condition
- penuryExtreme lack of money
- indigentExtremely poor, lacking necessities
deprived · underprivileged · slums · homelessness · hand-to-mouth · subsistence · want · privation · hardship · neediness
- uglyugly, hideous, unsightly, grotesque, repulsive
- cleanlinessclean, cleanliness, clean up, dirty, neatness
- disgustdisgust, disgusting, disgusted, revulsion, repulsion
- filthdirt, grime, dirty, filthy, muck
- worn-outworn, shabby, tattered, threadbare, battered
- uglinessugliness, unattractiveness, unsightliness, hideousness, homeliness
squalidpristine
Pure and untouched
spotless · immaculate · clean · hygienic · spick-and-span
- snow squallSudden intense snowstorm
- rain squallBrief, intense windblown shower
- squall lineLinear thunderstorm formation
- white squallUnexpected marine windstorm