grubby

adjective

grub·​by ˈgrə-bē How to pronounce grubby (audio)
grubbier; grubbiest
1
: infested with fly maggots
2
a
: dirty, grimy
grubby hands
3
: worthy of contempt : base
grubby political motives
grubbily adverb
grubbiness noun

Examples of grubby in a Sentence

He lives in a grubby little apartment. clean off those grubby hands before you touch anything
Recent Examples on the Web Heaven help the grubby finger that even attempts to graze their wings. Goth Shakira, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2024 The actors aren’t grubby or sweaty, and their clothes are neatly pressed. Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 12 Feb. 2024 Although the murderous alien is the films’ ostensible villain, Weyland-Yutani—an omnipresent monolith that’s sort of like if Tesla bought Netflix and was also the hospital—looms large over Alien’s grubby dystopia. Fran Hoepfner, The Atlantic, 16 Aug. 2024 The man looks nothing like the usual upscale Buckhead business crowd; this guy is rough and grubby, with no hint of a smile. Lizz Schumer, Peoplemag, 3 Aug. 2024 See all Example Sentences for grubby 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'grubby.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1725, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of grubby was in 1725

Dictionary Entries Near grubby

Cite this Entry

“Grubby.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grubby. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

grubby

adjective
grub·​by ˈgrəb-ē How to pronounce grubby (audio)
grubbier; grubbiest
grubbily adverb
grubbiness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on grubby

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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