grubbier; grubbiest
1
: infested with fly maggots
3
: worthy of contempt : base
grubby political motives
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
But watching a group of roughnecks on a rig in grubby overalls moving huge, long steel pipes, Dugan's smile begins to fade to a smirk.
—
Kirk Siegler, NPR, 24 Apr. 2025
The Belvedere is one of the old buildings in Queens whose name conjures up a sense of grandiosity in our grubby city lives.
—Clio Chang, Curbed, 25 Feb. 2025
Despite the grim proceedings and grubby environment, the spatial arrangement of the image brings to mind a theatre balcony packed with eager punters ready to consume their money’s worth of entertainment.
—Naomi Fry, The New Yorker, 22 Feb. 2025
Unbrushed hair and slightly grubby sweatshirt?
—Claire Cohen, Vogue, 9 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for grubby
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.
Kirk Siegler, NPR, 24 Apr. 2025
The Belvedere is one of the old buildings in Queens whose name conjures up a sense of grandiosity in our grubby city lives.
—Clio Chang, Curbed, 25 Feb. 2025
Despite the grim proceedings and grubby environment, the spatial arrangement of the image brings to mind a theatre balcony packed with eager punters ready to consume their money’s worth of entertainment.
—Naomi Fry, The New Yorker, 22 Feb. 2025
Unbrushed hair and slightly grubby sweatshirt?
—Claire Cohen, Vogue, 9 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for grubby
Cite this Entry
“Grubby.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grubby. Accessed 20 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share