as in filthy
not clean
get rid of that grotty old rag
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Recent Examples of grotty
The grotty tenements of the Lower East Side — and the distinct fashion within — is as much of a character in A24’s drama as the eponymous ping pong player himself.
—
Anna Tingley, Variety, 27 Dec. 2025
Conners in the just-grotty-enough camp classic Showgirls; or Pamela The Last Showgirl Anderson.
—Raven Smith, Vogue, 14 Aug. 2025
The show, which chronicled two spiraling roommates in a grotty London flat who invariably do exactly the wrong thing, is not for the faint of heart.
—Natasha Frost, New York Times, 21 Mar. 2025
The assault took place on the grottiest of vessels, manned by violent criminals who had been banished into deep space.
—Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 28 Feb. 2025
In a stark contrast to its predecessor, the pop star’s EP tracks chronicled the sordid and grotty bits of celebrity.
—Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 19 Feb. 2025
Bloober has translated the past as one might a literary classic, illuminating and modernizing the grottiest game to ever grace the PlayStation 2.
—Lewis Gordon, Vulture, 9 Oct. 2024
Anna Tingley, Variety, 27 Dec. 2025
Conners in the just-grotty-enough camp classic Showgirls; or Pamela The Last Showgirl Anderson.
—Raven Smith, Vogue, 14 Aug. 2025
The show, which chronicled two spiraling roommates in a grotty London flat who invariably do exactly the wrong thing, is not for the faint of heart.
—Natasha Frost, New York Times, 21 Mar. 2025
The assault took place on the grottiest of vessels, manned by violent criminals who had been banished into deep space.
—Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 28 Feb. 2025
In a stark contrast to its predecessor, the pop star’s EP tracks chronicled the sordid and grotty bits of celebrity.
—Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 19 Feb. 2025
Bloober has translated the past as one might a literary classic, illuminating and modernizing the grottiest game to ever grace the PlayStation 2.
—Lewis Gordon, Vulture, 9 Oct. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grotty
Adjective
-
Sauron was bested by some filthy Hobbitses and their pal, Gollum.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
22 Jan. 2026
-
Slightly less filthy than the ones on the balcony, those bricks could have used a coat of paint.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
22 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
These findings suggest that strong, organized magnetic fields may have been common in the early universe, especially in dusty starburst galaxies like Arp 220's ancient counterparts.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
30 Jan. 2026
-
These Cabernets often deliver bold black currant, plum, and dark chocolate flavors, layered with savory iron, dusty spice, herbs, and mineral notes.—
Liz Thach,
Forbes.com,
30 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
The guest-only Chapel Club has a more plush, salon-like feel and there’s more than a hint of naughtiness with stained glass windows casting color onto the sensual artworks.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
23 Jan. 2026
-
How To Remove Types Of Mattress Stains Step-By-Step Vacuum the mattress and stained area.—
Ashlyn Needham,
Southern Living,
20 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
On Saturday, locals and hikers walking along the muddy trail stopped to admire the old brick building with a few empty beer kegs sitting outside.—
Brendan Murray,
Bloomberg,
27 Jan. 2026
-
If anything, the environment has gotten muddier for CEOs looking to do big deals, with disruption in Europe and trade continuing.—
Rohan Goswami,
semafor.com,
27 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
The land, unfenced, abuts a bald blackened hillside that must be public land.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Aug. 2025
-
In its time open, fueled by fans of its blackened mahi and buttery lobster rolls, owner Mike Smith has expanded his footprint, moving into a larger stall in the popular food hall — which has allowed for a menu expansion, as well.—
Amy Drew Thompson,
Orlando Sentinel,
6 Dec. 2022
Adjective
-
The women have frequently shared their custom dirty soda orders and helped catapult the once-niche drink, often guzzled from 44-ounce mega cups, into the spotlight.—
Brittany Anas,
Denver Post,
27 Jan. 2026
-
If extremely dirty, they can be very briefly dunked into cold water and wiped dry.—
Cathy Thomas,
Oc Register,
26 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Microsoft took months to fix Remote Desktop disconnection issues, then shipped a Windows Update that wiped out Copilot, and released updates that duplicated the Task Manager and created a nasty system recovery bug.—
Tom Warren,
The Verge,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Those might have increased here because of weak data, like the nasty drop in consumer confidence yesterday, or because of the expectation a new Fed chair will be more dovish.—
Kelly Evans,
CNBC,
28 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
An Iranian amateur boxer was shot and killed by Iranian security forces during ongoing anti-regime protests near Tehran, and his father spent a week searching before identifying his body in a black body bag.—
Emma Bussey,
FOXNews.com,
27 Jan. 2026
-
The innocent girl turned jaded seductress, peeling off her sheer black lingerie to pose for the camera.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Grotty.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grotty. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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