1
: marked by filthiness and degradation from neglect or poverty
2
: sordid
squalidly
adverb
squalidness
noun
Examples of squalid in a Sentence
The family lived in squalid conditions.
Recent Examples on the Web
Jon, meanwhile, holes up in his squalid quarters surrounded by takeout containers and dirty clothes while hooked onto a cheap-looking VR game that hardly inspires the wonderment in us it’s supposed to in him.
—
Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 14 Feb. 2025
With most of Gaza’s population driven into massive, squalid tent camps, Palestinians are desperate to get back to their homes, even though many were destroyed or heavily damaged by Israel’s attacks.
—Samy Magdy, Los Angeles Times, 18 Jan. 2025
The 3-week-old baby was the third to die from the cold in Gaza's tent camps in recent days, doctors said, deaths that underscore the squalid conditions, with hundreds of thousands of Palestinians crammed into often ramshackle tents after fleeing Israeli offensives.
—Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 26 Dec. 2024
Migrants in Libya are routinely arbitrarily detained and placed in squalid detention centers where they are subjected to extortion, abuse, rape and killings.
—Renata Brito, Chicago Tribune, 9 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for squalid
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Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 14 Feb. 2025
With most of Gaza’s population driven into massive, squalid tent camps, Palestinians are desperate to get back to their homes, even though many were destroyed or heavily damaged by Israel’s attacks.
—Samy Magdy, Los Angeles Times, 18 Jan. 2025
The 3-week-old baby was the third to die from the cold in Gaza's tent camps in recent days, doctors said, deaths that underscore the squalid conditions, with hundreds of thousands of Palestinians crammed into often ramshackle tents after fleeing Israeli offensives.
—Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 26 Dec. 2024
Migrants in Libya are routinely arbitrarily detained and placed in squalid detention centers where they are subjected to extortion, abuse, rape and killings.
—Renata Brito, Chicago Tribune, 9 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for squalid
Cite this Entry
“Squalid.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/squalid. Accessed 18 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
squalid
adjective
squal·id
ˈskwäl-əd 
1
: filthy or degraded as a result of neglect or the lack of money
2
squalidly
adverb
squalidness
noun
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