also: しゅうかい
ugly and filthy; squalid
Rare literary term describing something both visually repulsive and morally or physically unclean. Used in older or highly formal writing.
The ruins presented an ugly and filthy sight.
I became aware of the ugliness and filthiness of his heart.
汚穢 emphasizes filth and defilement, often in a physical or religious sense, without the strong visual ugliness component of 醜穢.
Rare kanji spelling; the reading しゅうわい is the most common for this form.
Rare alternate reading for 醜穢; restricted to this kanji form.
Alternate rare kanji spelling; also read しゅうわい.
Compound of 醜 (ugly) and 穢 (filthy, defiled). The alternate form 醜猥 uses 猥 (obscene, indecent) with a similar connotation. The exact historical derivation is uncertain; the word is rare and primarily found in literary or classical contexts.