: 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
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
Rob Reynolds, an Iraq war veteran who did not live in Veterans Row but became an advocate for those who did, testified to the squalor, despair and deaths there, as well as the neglect by VA staff who never came outside the fence to offer aid.
—Doug Smith, Los Angeles Times, 6 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.
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
Rob Reynolds, an Iraq war veteran who did not live in Veterans Row but became an advocate for those who did, testified to the squalor, despair and deaths there, as well as the neglect by VA staff who never came outside the fence to offer aid.
—Doug Smith, Los Angeles Times, 6 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 21 Nov. 2024.
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