Definition of "squalid" [squal•id]

• Dirty and wretched, as from poverty or lack of care. See Synonyms at dirty. (adjective)
• Morally repulsive; sordid: "the squalid atmosphere of intrigue, betrayal, and counterbetrayal” ( W. Bruce Lincoln). (adjective)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "These innocent refugees were interned by Israel in squalid concentration camps such as Gaza and the West Bank."
• "The only way that Mexicans can do it is by living in squalid, overcrowded apartments."
• "The people live in squalid dens, where there can be no health and no hope, but dogged discontent at their own lot, and futile discontent at the wealth which they see possessed by others."