grubby

adjective

grub·​by ˈgrə-bē How to pronounce grubby (audio)
grubbier; grubbiest
1
: infested with fly maggots
2
a
: dirty, grimy
grubby hands
3
: worthy of contempt : base
grubby political motives
grubbily adverb
grubbiness noun

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The upshot of this contempt is a season that layers hypocrisy as well as sanctimony over the grubby, tedious nihilism that made Dahmer so miserable to watch. Judy Berman, Time, 6 Oct. 2025 Eli’s life, by contrast, remained ordinary, that of a career civil servant who moved his family from grubby Brooklyn to suburban Highland Park, New Jersey. David Kamp, New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2025 Don Quixote is about refusing to see the world in its actual grubby reality; to rather gild it in the beauties of our own invention. Ed Simon september 22, Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2025 Still, unlacquered brass hardware gets very grubby over the years from countless fingers grabbing handles and pulls. Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 16 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for grubby

Word History

First Known Use

1725, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of grubby was in 1725

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Grubby.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grubby. Accessed 14 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

grubby

adjective
grub·​by ˈgrəb-ē How to pronounce grubby (audio)
grubbier; grubbiest
grubbily adverb
grubbiness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on grubby

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!