As the title states: Can squalid be used to describe a person that has really fallen on hard times (ragged clothing, worn-out, haggard etc.)?
And if it can be used as such, how does it compare to shabby, i.e. which has a stronger connotation of run-down-ness?
All descriptions of squalid in dictionaries or example texts I found always use the word for buildings, areas, streets, but none I found uses it to describe a human directly.
Best Answer
I've never encountered "squalid" applied to a human being, in conversation or literature. If I did, I'd expect it to be used metaphorically (drawing parallels between the person and a dilapidated building), or jocularly (relishing an unusual turn of phrase, or an unusually cruel description).
Note, to my ear, squalid has a much stronger sense of filth and disrepair than shabby (which, at its gentlest, can be applied to a schoolchild who hasn't learned to dress himself properly yet).