DOWN AND DIRTY Synonyms: 41 Similar and Opposite Words

down and dirty

adjective

Definition of down and dirty

as in impromptu

made or done without previous thought or preparation hoisting aloft the down and dirty sign that we had just made, we joined the protest

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of down and dirty The Wilson, North Carolina native can get as down and dirty as your regular country boy and can also fit in among the greats. — Mya Abraham, VIBE.com, 6 Aug. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for down and dirty

Adjective

Then Sean moves away and grows up to become a spy who, after wrapping up a mission involving smuggling a nuclear warhead for reasons unknown, decides to pay an impromptu visit to his tweenage buddies.

— Alison Willmore, Vulture, 9 Oct. 2026
The impromptu opening bar scene includes friends of Claire’s from her work, her parents and brother Caleb, flown in from Dubuque.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of impromptu

Adjective

These findings suggest that the audience for conversations about the soul is not shrinking, but shifting away from organized religion and toward more personal, improvisational forms of seeking.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 5 Oct. 2026
Last month, at the Earl Scruggs Music Festival in Western North Carolina, MGU rolled through an hour-long set of new material from Appalachian Smoke and intricate improvisational jams.

— Garret K. Woodward, Rolling Stone, 4 Oct. 2026

Definition of improvisational

Adjective

The piece contends that the threat warrants advance legal planning rather than reliance on improvised responses after a disruption occurs.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 27 Sep. 2026
Comedian TaTa Sherise headlines 50 Worst Dates, an improvised comedy series, while Broadway veterans Kristine Covillo and Ben Davis star in ReelArc’s psychological thriller Zero Point.

— Max Goldbart, Deadline, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of improvised

Adjective

Gowanus is hardly the only postindustrial New York neighborhood rife with toxic waste — in Williamsburg and Greenpoint, the extent of toxic contamination is still being uncovered and mitigated in an ad hoc fashion.

— Kim Velsey, Curbed, 9 Oct. 2026
Pillay currently serves as an ad hoc judge at the International Court of Justice, the highest court of the United Nations, in the ongoing genocide case against Myanmar.

— Stefanie Dazio, Los Angeles Times, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of ad hoc

Browse Nearby Words

down

down and dirty

down-and-out

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“Down and dirty.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/down%20and%20dirty. Accessed 13 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of down and dirty

adjective

Example Sentences

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