squallido
The Italian word for dingy is squallido.
squallido is used to describe places that are not just dirty, but also neglected, shabby or wretched in appearance.
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective squallido changes its ending based on the gender and number of the noun it describes: use squallida for feminine singular nouns, squallidi for masculine plural nouns and squallide for feminine plural nouns.
Did you know?
- In Italian, the word squallido is often used in a hyperbolic way to describe a rainy or grey day, suggesting the weather itself feels depressing and bleak.
- While squallido describes a dingy room, it can also describe a person's moral character as 'squalid' or 'shameful'. A person's behavior can be squallido even if their clothes are perfectly clean.
- The word squallido shares a common ancestor with the English word 'squalid', meaning both words trace back to the Latin 'squalidus'.
Examples in context
- Il quartiere ha un aspetto malconcio con le sue strade sporche e i muri scrostati.The neighborhood looks dingy with its dirty streets and peeling walls.
- Quest'albergo sembra un po' squallido, ma è economico e comodo per passare solo una notte.This hotel looks a bit dingy, but it's cheap and convenient for just one night.
- un appartamento squallidoA dingy apartment
- Questo è un posto squallido.This is a dingy place.
- L'appartamento è un po' squallido.The apartment is a bit dingy.
- Non voglio vivere in un ambiente così squallido.I don't want to live in such a dingy environment.
Example conversation
Martina and Francesco are looking at a cheap apartment.
- MartinaFrancesco, guarda che squallido!Francesco, look how dingy it is!
- FrancescoHai ragione, è davvero brutto.You're right, it's really ugly.
- MartinaNon possiamo affittare questo posto.We cannot rent this place.
- FrancescoCerchiamo qualcos'altro domani.Let's look for something else tomorrow.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries squallido, CC BY-SA 4.0.
