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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
Zack Sharf, Variety, 7 July 2025
Nitty gritty: The conference extended an invitation to Texas State on Thursday and expects the Bobcats to accept on Monday, following a meeting of the university’s governing board.
—Jon Wilner, Mercury News, 28 June 2025
Later, Daoust dealt forward Abby Roque to Montreal in exchange for gritty forward Kristin O’Neill and the 28th pick.
—Carol Schram, Forbes.com, 25 June 2025
Lee closed with a gritty 2-over 74 in swirling winds and firm conditions, holding off late charges from Auston Kim and Chanettee Wannasaen to finish at 4-under for the week.
—Devlina Sarkar, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 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 13 Jul. 2025.
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