: the quality or state of being squalid
Examples of squalor in a Sentence
The family was living in squalor.
I was shocked by the squalor of their surroundings.
Recent Examples on the Web
There, they were crammed in squalor before being shot to death and buried in mass graves in the Liaudiskiai forest with the help of local Nazi collaborators.
—
Leslie Katz, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026
For Stroheim, the palaces and playgrounds of the rich are elaborate concealments of the drudgery and the squalor underlying comforts and luxuries—and even the bare necessities of everyday people.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 17 Jan. 2026
The cast, meanwhile, seems as if it has been lifted from the squalor of another era.
—Randy Myers, Mercury News, 14 Jan. 2026
The struggles against inhuman prejudice, against squalor, ignorance, and disease, have always owed a great deal to the determination and tenacity of women.
—Andrea Wurzburger, PEOPLE, 30 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for squalor
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Leslie Katz, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026
For Stroheim, the palaces and playgrounds of the rich are elaborate concealments of the drudgery and the squalor underlying comforts and luxuries—and even the bare necessities of everyday people.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 17 Jan. 2026
The cast, meanwhile, seems as if it has been lifted from the squalor of another era.
—Randy Myers, Mercury News, 14 Jan. 2026
The struggles against inhuman prejudice, against squalor, ignorance, and disease, have always owed a great deal to the determination and tenacity of women.
—Andrea Wurzburger, PEOPLE, 30 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for squalor
Cite this Entry
“Squalor.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/squalor. Accessed 4 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
squalor
noun
squa·lor
ˈskwäl-ər 
: filthy or degraded conditions resulting from neglect or lack of money
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