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 Seriously, is there anyone who doesn’t want to watch Kristen Stewart flicking back a greasy shag, driving an old pickup and chain-smoking in grubby tank tops? David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 21 Jan. 2024 The beach was a grubby rectangle of sand, set beneath an elevated highway and a row of street lamps that shone down on us at night. Jon Lee Anderson, The New Yorker, 8 Jan. 2024 In reality, grubbier pork-barrel considerations almost certainly counted for much more. Richard Morrison, National Review, 15 Dec. 2023 No need to obsess about grubby fingers or muddy paws making imprints on your walls—the Benjamin Moore Scuff X paint can hide it all. Nor'adila Hepburn, Better Homes & Gardens, 15 Oct. 2023 In tandem with her grubby henchman, Bleacher (Tom Davis), Mrs. Scrubit runs a scam duping insolvent guests into years of unpaid labor in her laundry business. David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Dec. 2023 An actor’s master class occurs when the two occasionally meet to exchange information on a grubby bench on the Thames. Stephen Rodrick, Variety, 29 Nov. 2023 Jane spent most of her early years grubby and unsupervised, trailing her older siblings everywhere. Eleni Schirmer, The New Yorker, 17 Oct. 2023 Off to one side of the main room stands a rectangular platform hosting a grubby mattress enshrouded by a set of semi-opaque curtains hanging around the sides and sealing it off but for access slits. Matt Thompson, SPIN, 8 Nov. 2023

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 28 Mar. 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

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