Sordid means dirty, unpleasant, or morally shameful. A sordid room might be filthy and depressing, with trash piled in corners and stains on everything. But the word more often describes situations or behavior that feel morally grimy, involving dishonesty, greed, or selfishness.

When someone uncovers the sordid details of a scandal, they're revealing the ugly, embarrassing parts that people tried to hide. A sordid scheme to cheat people out of their money is distastefully greedy and mean-spirited, the kind of wrong that makes you feel disgusted. The word suggests something that makes you want to look away or wash your hands afterward.

In classic adventure stories, heroes sometimes discover the sordid past of a villain who got wealthy through trickery and cruelty. The word captures that feeling when you learn someone achieved success through shameful methods rather than honest effort. Sordid combines physical dirtiness with moral ugliness, describing things that are unpleasant in ways that go beyond being messy or imperfect.