grubby

adjective

ˈgrə-bē How to pronounce grubby (audio)
Definition of grubbynext
1
as in filthy
not clean clean off those grubby hands before you touch anything

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in dirty
arousing or deserving of one's loathing and disgust that's a grubby reason to stop talking to a friend

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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 grubby That outsider status, some former advisors and close watchers of Carney say, is precisely what gives him room to maneuver, with Canadians seeing him as above the grubby backroom dealing of traditional politics. — Desiree Adib, ABC News, 27 Aug. 2026 Walsh’s spaceship deviates from many of the vessels seen in Star Wars, as those ships are often dirty and grubby to emphasize their use and wear. — Rachel Raposas, PEOPLE, 10 Aug. 2026 Run the exhaust fan during and after every shower, replace towels frequently, and clean the bathroom every week to keep it from getting grubby in summer. — Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 19 July 2026 The earliest of the Roman Romance novels dates from the first century CE, just as the first emperor Augustus ended the Republic once and for all and gathered the whole Roman empire into his own grubby little hands. — Literary Hub, 30 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for grubby
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grubby
  1. filthy
  2. dirty
  3. dusty
  4. cheap
  5. stained
  6. lame
  7. blackened
  8. pitiful
Adjective
  • Park advocates have long argued that the existing city allocation is inadequate, leaving neighborhoods with decaying recreation centers, deteriorating swimming pools and filthy park bathrooms.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Raman has promised to speed up housing construction, bring back entertainment industry jobs and improve services in a city known for filthy streets, gridlock and an unresponsive City Hall.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of filthy
Adjective
  • At first the owner stared at him blankly, then flashed a look of distaste, as if a dirty rodent had brushed his foot.
    — Rachel Heng, New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2026
  • Stephens and several teammates then appeared to taunt the Oregon players and celebrate the dirty play rather than show concern for a fellow college athlete who was lying motionless on the field.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of dirty
Adjective
  • This East of Eden is a gorgeous production, deliberately stark and vast and dusty rather than lushly floral like the 1955 film.
    — Kathryn VanArendonk, Vulture, 1 Oct. 2026
  • In one, a dark-haired man played the Camille Saint-Saëns song on a dusty violin while a ballerina in a fanlike feathery skirt danced the part of the swan.
    — Tom Drury, Harpers Magazine, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of dusty
Adjective
  • The question should be how technology can make returning it cheap enough that the government no longer has an excuse.
    — Mark Lewyn, Hartford Courant, 2 Oct. 2026
  • The company on Tuesday introduced an upgrade to its cheaper, mid-tier GPT-6 Sol model.
    — Nicholas Wu, semafor.com, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of cheap
Adjective
  • Set your iron to its lowest setting—no steam—and place the stained area between two paper towels or lint-free cloths.
    — Alexandra Emanuelli, Southern Living, 26 Sep. 2026
  • Pushing those briars aside revealed a single splinter of stained glass, bright as a ruby and warm as blood.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of stained
Adjective
  • Blumenthal hopes to see action on KOSA in the lame-duck session.
    — Lisa Hagen, Hartford Courant, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Only to see them, after winning elections, get strong-armed by the party, then offer lame excuses as to why.
    — Colleen Kujawa, Chicago Tribune, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of lame
Adjective
  • The land, unfenced, abuts a bald blackened hillside that must be public land.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Aug. 2025
Definition of blackened
Adjective
  • Completing the hat trick in pitiful style, Taking on the World was shot on a shoestring budget, helmed by the man behind Highlander III, and forced to rely on stock footage of real-life footballers.
    — Jon O'Brien, Vulture, 26 June 2026
  • Given the national team’s pitiful demise at the Oval, with New Zealand completing victory on the fifth morning, Ben Stokes’ revival in absentia feels like the only consolation from a miserable week.
    — Hector Vickers, New York Times, 21 June 2026
Definition of pitiful

Browse Nearby Words

grubbing (about)
grubby
grubs
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Grubby.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grubby. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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