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dirty

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adjective

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dirty

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verb

dirty

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adverb

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective dirty differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of dirty are filthy, foul, nasty, and squalid. While all these words mean "conspicuously unclean or impure," dirty emphasizes the presence of dirt more than an emotional reaction to it or, figuratively, stresses meanness or despicableness.

a dirty littered street
don't ask me to do your dirty work

When is it sensible to use filthy instead of dirty?

The words filthy and dirty are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, filthy carries a strong suggestion of offensiveness and typically of gradually accumulated dirt that begrimes and besmears. Figuratively, it can also describe disgusting obscenity.

a stained greasy floor, utterly filthy
filthy street language

When could foul be used to replace dirty?

The meanings of foul and dirty largely overlap; however, foul implies extreme offensiveness and an accumulation of what is rotten or stinking; it can also describe, for example, loathsome behavior.

a foul-smelling open sewer
a foul story of lust and greed

How does the word nasty relate to other synonyms for dirty?

Nasty applies to what is actually foul or is repugnant to one expecting freshness, cleanliness, or sweetness; in practice, however, nasty is often weakened to the point of being no more than a synonym of unpleasant or disagreeable. When used figuratively, nasty implies a peculiarly offensive unpleasantness.

it's a nasty job to clean up after a sick cat
had a nasty fall
his answer gave her a nasty shock
a stand-up comedian known for nasty humor

Where would squalid be a reasonable alternative to dirty?

While the synonyms squalid and dirty are close in meaning, squalid adds to the idea of dirtiness and filth that of slovenly neglect. Distinctively, its figurative use implies sordidness as well as baseness and dirtiness.

squalid slums
engaged in a series of squalid affairs

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of dirtiness
Adjective
But if everyone turns on their air conditioner at the same time, electricity demand spikes, which can force power grid operators to activate some of the most expensive, and dirtiest, power plants. Johanna Mathieu, The Conversation, 11 June 2025 Reinhart has been largely a non-factor since the dirty hit laid on him by Hurricanes forward Sebastian Aho in the Eastern Conference Finals. Adam Beasley, Miami Herald, 10 June 2025
Verb
Place them in a shoe bag or wrap them in a plastic bag to keep them from dirtying other items. Will Porter, Travel + Leisure, 12 Feb. 2025 For example, a small non-shedding dog that rarely goes outside won't dirty a bed nearly as fast as a large labarador that plays outside daily. Halee Miller Van Ryswyk, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 Apr. 2025
Adverb
Sonic Drive-In began offering the option to make its drinks dirty by adding coconut cream and lime for an additional charge. Cheryl V. Jackson, The Courier-Journal, 16 Sep. 2024 The campaign gained intensity when photos circulated on the Internet of Ya Ya looking dirty and gaunt (by panda standards) with patchy fur. Ashraf Khalil and Didi Tang, The Christian Science Monitor, 3 Oct. 2023 See All Example Sentences for dirtiness
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dirtiness
Adjective
  • Troubled Factories: The medications came mostly from plants in India where inspectors found contaminated drugs, filthy labs and falsified records.
    Debbie Cenziper, ProPublica, 17 June 2025
  • The next year, his fame reached a new echelon after the release of Pumping Iron, a docudrama that highlighted Schwarzenegger's strange charisma and filthy sense of humor.
    Randall Colburn, EW.com, 12 June 2025
Adjective
  • The obscene cost of healthcare has pushed manufacturers offshore and kept wages stagnant for decades.
    Ro Khanna, Twin Cities, 12 June 2025
  • In Tacoma, 35 miles to the south, Ted Bundy grew up near the American Smelting and Refining Co., which disgorged obscene levels of lead and arsenic into the air while netting millions for the Guggenheim dynasty before its 1986 closure.
    Hamilton Cain, Los Angeles Times, 5 June 2025
Adjective
  • The capsizing was believed to have been caused by turbulent waters from heavy recent rains.
    Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, Arkansas Online, 13 June 2025
  • The spike in geomagnetic activity is driven primarily by a co-rotating interaction region (CIR) — a turbulent region in the solar wind in which fast-moving streams collide with slower wind ahead of them.
    Daisy Dobrijevic, Space.com, 12 June 2025
Adjective
  • Astros rookie Jacob Melton with a WILD catch in foul territory 😱 (via @astros)pic.twitter.com/KqrqRlDECr — B/R Walk-Off (@BRWalkoff) June 7, 2025 Otherwise, Melton was off to somewhat slow start to his career prior to the ankle injury.
    Jon Vankin, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 June 2025
  • For Lynn, playing in the minors meant bad lighting and a short foul pole in right at the late McCoy Stadium that cost him home runs.
    Bill Speros, Boston Herald, 15 June 2025
Adjective
  • And some erratic vibrations were detected at points last week as the stark outperformance of year-to-date laggards over the top 2025 performers prompted some comparisons to the nasty momentum-stock reversal of February and March that upset the market well before the tariff panic.
    Michael Santoli, CNBC, 14 June 2025
  • But while Burns appeared to solve Oakmont for the day, some players who performed well on Thursday got eaten alive by the nasty course on Friday.
    Kyle Feldscher, CNN Money, 13 June 2025
Adjective
  • This means some fans will be watching Messi for as little as $4, which is a far cry from the cheapest seats being cast at $349 when the draw was made in December.
    Adam Crafton, New York Times, 14 June 2025
  • The funding was meant to put the US in a position to compete with Chinese automakers, who have developed cheap and effective EVs that have piqued interest among car buyers around the world.
    Aarian Marshall, Wired News, 13 June 2025
Verb
  • As both business owner and head baker — her black chef’s coat is usually powdered with flour, her hands stained with icing — Vee won’t have time this June to participate in the Chicago Pride Parade.
    Sophie Levenson, Chicago Tribune, 17 June 2025
  • The team that would replace us would be stained, football would be stained.
    Felipe Cardenas, New York Times, 17 June 2025
Noun
  • An earnest, has-a-costume-for-everything kind of guy, Daub is allergic to the greige and the dinge.
    Sandra Upson, Wired, 18 Jan. 2021
  • Dinges said the two crewmembers whose sleep remained steady -- even in the absence of conventional daylight -- were those who kept to a strict schedule and found other ways to control their biological clocks.
    Michael Nedelman, CNN, 1 June 2017

Cite this Entry

“Dirtiness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dirtiness. Accessed 24 Jun. 2025.

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