Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Dirty or deteriorated, especially from poverty or lack of care. synonym: dirty.
  • adjective Morally repulsive; sordid.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Foul; filthy; extremely dirty: as, a squalid beggar; a squalid house.
  • Rough; shaggy.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Dirty through neglect; foul; filthy; extremely dirty.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Extremely dirty and unpleasant.
  • adjective Showing a contemptible lack of moral standards.
  • noun zoology Any member of the Squalidae.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective foul and run-down and repulsive
  • adjective morally degraded

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Latin squālidus, from squālēre, to be filthy, from squālus, filthy.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Latin squalidus, from squalere ‘be rough or dirty’.

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Examples

Comments

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  • "He looked at the cuff of his shirt, which had been somewhat squalid before their long night in the greasy chaise, and which was now a disgrace to the ship."

    --Patrick O'Brian, The Letter of Marque, 146

    February 29, 2008