The difference between Dirty and Sordid

When used as adjectives, dirty means unclean, whereas sordid means distasteful, ignoble, vile, or contemptible.


Dirty is also adverb with the meaning: in a dirty manner.

Dirty is also verb with the meaning: to make (something) dirty.

check bellow for the other definitions of Dirty and Sordid

  1. Dirty as an adjective:

    Unclean; covered with or containing unpleasant substances such as dirt or grime.

    Examples:

    "Despite a walk in the rain, my shoes weren't too dirty."

  2. Dirty as an adjective:

    That makes one unclean; corrupting, infecting.

    Examples:

    "Don't put that in your mouth, dear. It's dirty."

  3. Dirty as an adjective:

    Morally unclean; obscene or indecent, especially sexually.

    Examples:

    "At the reception, Uncle Nick got drunk and told dirty jokes to the bridesmaids."

  4. Dirty as an adjective:

    Dishonourable; violating accepted standards or rules.

    Examples:

    "He might have scored, but it was a dirty trick that won him the penalty."

  5. Dirty as an adjective:

    Corrupt, illegal, or improper.

    Examples:

    "I won't accept your dirty money!"

  6. Dirty as an adjective:

    Out of tune.

    Examples:

    "You need to tune that guitar: the G string sounds dirty."

  7. Dirty as an adjective:

    Of color, discolored by impurities.

    Examples:

    "The old flag was a dirty white."

  8. Dirty as an adjective (computing):

    Containing data needing to be written back to memory or disk.

    Examples:

    "Occasionally it reads the sector into a dirty buffer, which means it needs to sync the dirty buffer first."

  9. Dirty as an adjective (slang):

    Carrying illegal drugs among one's possessions or inside of one's bloodstream.

    Examples:

    "None of y'all get into my car if you're dirty."

  10. Dirty as an adjective (informal):

    Examples:

    "He lives in a dirty great mansion."

  11. Dirty as an adjective:

    Sleety; gusty; stormy.

    Examples:

    "'dirty weather"

  1. Dirty as an adverb:

    In a dirty manner.

    Examples:

    "to play dirty'"

  1. Dirty as a verb (transitive):

    To make (something) dirty.

  2. Dirty as a verb (transitive):

    To stain or tarnish (somebody) with dishonor.

  3. Dirty as a verb (transitive):

    To debase by distorting the real nature of (something).

  4. Dirty as a verb (intransitive):

    To become soiled.

  1. Sordid as an adjective:

    Distasteful, ignoble, vile, or contemptible.

  2. Sordid as an adjective:

    Dirty or squalid.

  3. Sordid as an adjective:

    Morally degrading.

  4. Sordid as an adjective:

    Grasping; stingy; avaricious.

  5. Sordid as an adjective:

    Of a dull colour.