grimy

adjective

ˈgrī-mē How to pronounce grimy (audio)
Definition of grimynext
as in filthy
not clean this mirror is so grimy you can barely see your reflection in it

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 grimy Given the grimy, gory nature of writer-director Paul Greengrass’ historical film, Garfield had to rely on his go-to ways to unwind. — Jack Smart, PEOPLE, 3 Sep. 2026 Written with grimy, enlivening frankness — and an ability to dig into moral ambiguity — every character scrambles to get a leg up. — Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2026 Wipe the solution off with water and a microfiber cloth, scrubbing at the grimy parts. — Abby Monteil, The Spruce, 26 Aug. 2026 Soap residue that’s left behind can create a sticky surface that attracts dust, dirt, and airborne oils, leading to some pretty grimy and hard-to-remove surfaces. — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 23 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for grimy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grimy
  1. filthy
  2. dusty
  3. dirty
  4. blackened
  5. stained
  6. muddy
  7. black
Adjective
  • Some orphans, their faces filthy, walked the stands hawking candy.
    — Dexter Filkins, New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Myriad violations, from food that should’ve been trashed weeks earlier to filthy equipment, befouled the state inspection of a West Miami-Dade supermarket this week.
    — David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 11 Oct. 2026
Definition of filthy
Adjective
  • The production is a rattling junk drawer of circuit-bent thrift-store keyboards, dusty drum machines, and unintuitive loops, and KTO combines them into head-scratching, shouldn’t-work grooves.
    — Dash Lewis, Pitchfork, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Coming up from the intertidal, out of the dusty salt wind with his latest find under one arm, Tennent met a woman on her way down.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of dusty
Adjective
  • Walls around the three-sinks are dirty in the ware-washing area.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Postwar Hiroshima was a popular setting for these movie gangsters, who fought dirty, had no use for the old ceremonies, and wore flashy suits and aviator shades.
    — Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of dirty
Adjective
  • The land, unfenced, abuts a bald blackened hillside that must be public land.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Aug. 2025
Definition of blackened
Adjective
  • Set your iron to its lowest setting—no steam—and place the stained area between two paper towels or lint-free cloths.
    — Alexandra Emanuelli, Southern Living, 26 Sep. 2026
  • Pushing those briars aside revealed a single splinter of stained glass, bright as a ruby and warm as blood.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of stained
Adjective
  • The committee isn’t fully aware of the muddy bog in which Taverner is currently sinking, but Lamb is starting to understand the shape of it.
    — Scott Tobias, Vulture, 14 Oct. 2026
  • But the terrain is treacherous with muddy roads and slippery rocks.
    — Paula Wethington, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of muddy
Adjective
  • In the 1980s, when Parisian fashion was all power shoulders and cinched waists, a group of Japanese designers arrived with black clothes, asymmetry, holes and new silhouettes.
    — Rhonda Richford, Footwear News, 12 Oct. 2026
  • The inside of the ice machine had an accumulation of black and pink organic buildup.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of black

Browse Nearby Words

grimness
grimy
grin
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Grimy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grimy. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

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