gritty

adjective

grit·​ty ˈgri-tē How to pronounce gritty (audio)
grittier; grittiest
1
: containing or resembling grit
2
: courageously persistent : plucky
a gritty heroine
3
: having strong qualities of tough uncompromising realism
a gritty novel
grittily adverb
grittiness noun

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

I admire her gritty determination to succeed. The book describes the gritty realities of life on the streets. He gave us all of the gritty details of his divorce.
Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
The corn and honey cake is similar to your favorite corn bread, dense, gritty and full of corn flavor drenched in honey. Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2024 Herbal Liqueur More earthy than aforementioned amaro, herbal liqueurs are infused with more and stronger herbs and botanicals, usually resulting in more gritty, bitter flavors on their own but are quite savory and delectable when mixed with tequila or mezcal. Rachel King, Forbes, 3 Nov. 2024 Sons of Anarchy — While centered on a motorcycle club, this features strong character dynamics and gritty drama similar to Yellowstone. David Faris, Newsweek, 3 Nov. 2024 The Roberts are a writing duo consisting of Bryan and Alexis Roberts, making waves with their high-energy, dark, gritty tone. Leo Barraclough, Variety, 1 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for gritty 

Word History

Etymology

grit entry 1 + -y entry 1

First Known Use

1598, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of gritty was in 1598

Podcast

Dictionary Entries Near gritty

Cite this Entry

“Gritty.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gritty. Accessed 10 Nov. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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