Definition

1. Noun:
   • A covered underground tank or pit for the temporary storage of liquid waste and sewage: A "cesspool" is a primitive, often unsanitary, underground container where wastewater from a building (like from toilets and sinks) collects. It is a basic form of sewage disposal, typically not connected to a main sewer system.
   • (Figurative) A place or situation characterized by extreme filth, corruption, or moral decay: By extension, "cesspool" is used metaphorically to describe an environment that is considered utterly depraved, corrupt, or disgusting.

Examples of Usage

• Literal meaning:

  • The old house in the countryside still had an outdated cesspool instead of a modern septic system.
  • The health inspector condemned the property due to a leaking cesspool near the well.

• Figurative meaning:

  • The journalist described the city's political machine as a cesspool of greed and bribery.
  • He felt the internet forum had become a cesspool of hatred and misinformation.

Advanced Usage

• "A cesspool of [something negative]": This is the standard figurative construction to describe a place full of a particular type of corruption or vice.
  • The novel portrays the capital as a cesspool of intrigue and deception.
  • That industry is often seen as a cesspool of nepotism.

Variants and Related Words

• Cesspit (noun): A synonym for "cesspool," often used interchangeably, though sometimes "cesspit" is considered more common in British English.
  • The waste was draining into a foul-smelling cesspit.
• Septic tank (noun): A more modern and sanitary tank for wastewater treatment, which partially treats the waste, unlike a simple storage cesspool.

Synonyms

• Sump: A pit or reservoir serving as a drain or receptacle for liquids.
• Septic system: A broader term for an on-site wastewater treatment structure.
• (Figurative) Den of iniquity: A place where immoral activities are common.
• (Figurative) Sink: A place where foul or corrupt things collect.

Related Phrases

• To be a cesspool: Used to state that a place or situation has the qualities of a cesspool.
  • Without proper moderation, the comments section can quickly become a cesspool.

Related Idioms

• A cesspool of vice: A very common idiom emphasizing moral corruption.
  • The area was once known as a cesspool of vice, filled with gambling dens and brothels.

Noun

1. a covered cistern; waste water and sewage flow into it