grubby

adjective

grub·​by ˈgrə-bē 

grubbier; grubbiest

1

: infested with fly maggots

2

a

: dirty, grimy

grubby hands

b

: slovenly, sloppy

3

: worthy of contempt : base

grubby political motives

grubbily

ˈgrə-bə-lē 

adverb

grubbiness

ˈgrə-bē-nəs 

noun

Synonyms

• filthy
• dusty
• stained
• dirty
• blackened
• muddy
• black

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

Both the series, which debuted in August 1976 and starred Linda Lavin, and the movie were set on the outskirts of Phoenix at the grubby Mel’s Diner. —Mike Barnes, HollywoodReporter, 10 Sep. 2025

The groundhog uses his grubby paws and wide-eyed animal optimism to wake that which blooms: green leaves, pink flowers, light jackets. —Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 22 Aug. 2025

Even with all its grubby realism, Possession celebrates a life in books in a way that feels aspirational. —Literary Hub, 19 Aug. 2025

Now, the world is essentially the puppet of the A.I. big bad known as The Entity, which has gotten its grubby digital claws into the global psyche as well as most of the world’s nuclear arsenals. —Jami Ganz, New York Daily News, 23 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1725, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for grubby

• chubby
• cubby
• hubby
• scrubby
• shrubby
• stubby
• tubby

Kids Definition

grubby

adjective

grub·​by ˈgrəb-ē 

grubbier; grubbiest

: dirty entry 1 sense 1, slovenly

grubbily

ˈgrəb-ə-lē 

adverb

grubbiness

ˈgrəb-ē-nəs 

noun