: 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
The lake is bracketed by opulent Palm Springs to the north and the arty squalor of Slab City to the south, home to about 150 full-time residents but temporary home to as many as 4,000 in the winter.
—
Dennis Hinkamp, The Denver Post, 5 Feb. 2025
Bailey looked out at the landscape again, thinking about El Naga’s description, the squalor of the NCI, the fractures between the United States and the Middle East.
—Sushrut Jangi, Foreign Affairs, 7 Dec. 2014
Seeing my friend so comfortable in comfort, my old guttersnipe buddy who’d once lived for years in actual squalor, felt odd.
—Lauren Groff, The Atlantic, 28 Sep. 2024
At one location, hundreds of workers were housed in what appeared to be shipping containers, according to a Malaysian government official, who in a media report described the squalor as a form of modern slavery.
—Steven Martinez, Journal Sentinel, 25 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for squalor 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Dennis Hinkamp, The Denver Post, 5 Feb. 2025
Bailey looked out at the landscape again, thinking about El Naga’s description, the squalor of the NCI, the fractures between the United States and the Middle East.
—Sushrut Jangi, Foreign Affairs, 7 Dec. 2014
Seeing my friend so comfortable in comfort, my old guttersnipe buddy who’d once lived for years in actual squalor, felt odd.
—Lauren Groff, The Atlantic, 28 Sep. 2024
At one location, hundreds of workers were housed in what appeared to be shipping containers, according to a Malaysian government official, who in a media report described the squalor as a form of modern slavery.
—Steven Martinez, Journal Sentinel, 25 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for squalor
Articles Related to squalor
Dictionary Entries Near squalor
Cite this Entry
“Squalor.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/squalor. Accessed 13 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
squalor
noun
squa·lor
ˈskwäl-ər 
: filthy or degraded conditions resulting from neglect or lack of money
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share