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
Mya Abraham, VIBE.com, 6 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for down and dirty
Adjective
-
But such impromptu races weren’t unknown at the time.—
Don Sweeney,
Sacbee.com,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Some stood on large metal dumpsters that blocked all traffic, banging on them, while others gave speeches at the growing impromptu memorial for Pretti, who was a 37-year-old ICU nurse at a VA hospital.—
Jack Brook,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Worse, perhaps, leadership in moments of upheaval requires a certain theatricality and improvisational creativity that establishment Republican politicians tend to lack.—
Walter Russell Mead,
The Atlantic,
24 Jan. 2026
-
The bigger concern is the improvisational contributions from Nix — big scrambles, off-platform throws, odd-angle deliveries — have been a significant part of an offense that has struggled at times to hang its hat on anything else consistently.—
Nick Kosmider,
New York Times,
24 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Isa gives a behind-the-scenes account of an at-times improvised process on a tight deadline.—
John Wilkerson,
STAT,
20 Jan. 2026
-
For the 60-minute monologue, which started as an improvised homage for the artist’s retrospectives at the Brooklyn Museum and MOCA Los Angeles 20 years ago, Smith sets out to help audience members get a deeper sense of the young man behind the myth.—
Karu F. Daniels,
New York Daily News,
15 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
The Sardines, an ad hoc band led by music director Kurt Cowling on keyboards and featuring singer Leah Gawel, play music originally performed and mostly composed by '90s lounge revivalists Combustible Edison.—
Jim Higgins,
Journal Sentinel,
18 Mar. 2023
-
Ukraine has also called for the creation of a special United Nations tribunal, akin to ad hoc bodies set up to address war crimes in the former Yugoslavia and elsewhere.—
Laura King,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Mar. 2023
Cite this Entry
“Down and dirty.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/down%20and%20dirty. Accessed 31 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
