DOWN AND DIRTY Synonyms: 41 Similar and Opposite Words

down and dirty

adjective

Definition of down and dirty

as in impromptu

made or done without previous thought or preparation hoisting aloft the down and dirty sign that we had just made, we joined the protest

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 down and dirty The Wilson, North Carolina native can get as down and dirty as your regular country boy and can also fit in among the greats. — Mya Abraham, VIBE.com, 6 Aug. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for down and dirty

Adjective

There is always an excuse for an impromptu barbecue, either with meat or, even better, fresh seafood; almost every group of friends here has at least one good fisherman.

— Chadner Navarro, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Sep. 2026
These impromptu scrapes have no communication value — unlike community scrapes.

— Josh Honeycutt, Outdoor Life, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of impromptu

Adjective

Tsepetis’s improvisational approach to hospitality creates a home-away-from-home warmth that keeps many of his guests returning, year after year.

— Noo Saro-Wiwa, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Sep. 2026
Washington didn’t do enough this offseason to close the gap, and Jayden Daniels’ improvisational style still carries injury risk.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2026

Definition of improvisational

Adjective

The 1986 film Frauenträume (Women’s Dreams), for instance, includes flight experiments on rooftops, love acts with an improvised rocket, and the emergence of a third breast at the center of a torso.

— Elisa R. Linn, Artforum, 1 Sep. 2026
That's enough to loosen steep slopes where some of the 210,000 islanders live off the grid in improvised housing.

— ABC News, ABC News, 16 Aug. 2026

Definition of improvised

Adjective

College football thrives on seemingly ad hoc approaches to program building.

— Pete Sampson, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026
But these are ad hoc projects, not a coordinated strategy involving tariffs, regulation, and pooled resources to create a true united front against China’s industrial onslaught.

— Andy Browne, semafor.com, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of ad hoc

Browse Nearby Words

down

down and dirty

down-and-out

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Down and dirty.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/down%20and%20dirty. Accessed 15 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of down and dirty

adjective

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

quorum

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Popular

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Games & Quizzes