grotty

adjective

grot·​ty ˈgrä-tē How to pronounce grotty (audio)
grottier; grottiest
chiefly British
: wretchedly shabby : of poor quality
also : filthy, gross

Examples of grotty in a Sentence

I lived in a grotty flat. get rid of that grotty old rag
Recent Examples on the Web If Kline’s filmmaking seems to wear its grotty realism on its sleeve, his plotting has a shambling, anything-goes playfulness. Justin Chang, Los Angeles Times, 25 Aug. 2022 The closest match to the Grand Old Opry is Magic City, the famed strip club at the grotty end of south downtown. George Chidi, Rolling Stone, 8 Sep. 2022 The film is the story of Robert (Daniel Zolghadri), who wants to reject the suburban comforts of his upbringing for a grotty world as an aspiring underground cartoonist. Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2022 To impress her office crush Colin (Dylan O’Brien), a callow pothead-turned-globe-trotting influencer with a grotty Pete Davidson-esque charisma, Danni concocts a phony invitation to a writers retreat in Paris. Amy Nicholson, Variety, 20 July 2022 Operative all along hasn’t been Russia’s historical and geographic imperatives, but the grotty nature of the current regime. WSJ, 1 Mar. 2022 Originally, each day I was allowed out two half-hours in a grotty little area that was half sealed above you. The Salt Lake Tribune, 18 Nov. 2021 The most telegenic bits, though, feel bona fide haunted — a grotty, Dionysian Manhattan, the woefully short life spans of it-girls and superstars, a blazing era for rock, punk, jazz and soul. Washington Post, 19 May 2021 Lodgings come in all sizes and for every length of stay, no security deposit required, from a grotty single bed for the night to fancy permanent quarters for a colony. Jill Lepore, The New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2020

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

Word History

Etymology

origin unknown

First Known Use

1964, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of grotty was in 1964

Dictionary Entries Near grotty

Cite this Entry

“Grotty.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grotty. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

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