Did you know?
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
Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Jan. 2026
Carmelo, at 6 feet 7, 240 pounds, was a gritty power forward.
—Lindsay Schnell, New York Times, 6 Jan. 2026
Across the board, the textures are smooth, not gritty; the flavors are nuanced, not overwhelming.
—Samantha Leal, Refinery29, 6 Jan. 2026
Marty Supreme signals a thrilling new chapter for Safdie, the director who made his name in a filmmaking partnership with his brother, Benny, on gritty features including Heaven Knows What, Good Time and the beloved Adam Sandler vehicle Uncut Gems.
—David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 5 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for gritty
Cite this Entry
“Gritty.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gritty. Accessed 8 Jan. 2026.
Copy Citation
Share