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
Sean Gregory, Time, 26 June 2025
Everything about his experiences growing up in the ’80s and ’90s tells him that what’s missing might be grittier than a polished package.
—Amy Drew Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 25 June 2025
Dort was also instrumental with his defensive IQ, gritty rebounding efforts, and rainbow jumpers as the shot clock expired.
—Shane Young, Forbes.com, 24 June 2025
The album's pop friendly productions blended with Springsteen's gritty vocals brought Heartland rock to a wider audience.
—Madison E. Goldberg, People.com, 24 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for gritty
Cite this Entry
“Gritty.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gritty. Accessed 30 Jun. 2025.
Copy Citation
Share