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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
Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Mar. 2026
Notre Dame star junior guard Hannah Hidalgo turned in a gritty performance in the defeat, finishing with a game-high 22 points and 11 rebounds.
—Kevin Dotson, CNN Money, 29 Mar. 2026
His voice remained as supple as ever, moving from gentle falsettos to raw, gritty emotion throughout the set.
—Althea Legaspi, Rolling Stone, 29 Mar. 2026
That mentality was on display in Miami’s 2-1 Opening Day win over the Colorado Rockies, a gritty win that featured a stellar start from ace Sandy Alcantara, timely hitting and strong defense — the backbone of any successful team.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 28 Mar. 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 2 Apr. 2026.
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