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Gritty comes from grit ("small hard granules"), which in turn derives, via Middle English, from an Old English word for "sand" or "gravel." Grit has been around since before the 12th century, but the first appearance of gritty in print in English was near the end of the 16th century, when it was used in the sense of "resembling or containing small hard granules." Grit entered American slang with the meaning "courage or persistence" in the early 19th century, and gritty followed suit with a corresponding "plucky" sense. By the 19th century's end, gritty was also being used to describe a literary style that was rough and coarse.
Examples of gritty in a Sentence
Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 24 Feb. 2025
The John Wick and The Matrix alum recently told Inverse that after years of attempts to make a follow-up to the gritty supernatural thriller, fans may soon see that vision come to fruition with headway being made in the creative process.
—Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 22 Feb. 2025
Film-forming polymers contribute to a gravity-defying curl, while peptides and acacia senegal gum extract work to moisturize lashes and deliver a less gritty application.
—Conçetta Ciarlo, Vogue, 14 Feb. 2025
Philly's mic drop moment of the afternoon, a fitting raw finale for a city that embraces its gritty side, was delivered by wide receiver A.J. Brown.
—Isaac Avilucea, Axios, 14 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gritty
Cite this Entry
“Gritty.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gritty. Accessed 4 Mar. 2025.
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