1
as in filthy
not clean
clean off those grubby hands before you touch anything
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in dirty
arousing or deserving of one's loathing and disgust
that's a grubby reason to stop talking to a friend
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of grubby
Eli’s life, by contrast, remained ordinary, that of a career civil servant who moved his family from grubby Brooklyn to suburban Highland Park, New Jersey.
—
David Kamp, New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2025
Don Quixote is about refusing to see the world in its actual grubby reality; to rather gild it in the beauties of our own invention.
—Ed Simon
september 22, Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2025
Still, unlacquered brass hardware gets very grubby over the years from countless fingers grabbing handles and pulls.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 16 Sep. 2025
The hinged handle has grippy silicone for little hands, plus a push-button lid that snaps shut to keep the straw clean (because those little hands can get more than a little grubby and germy as the day goes on).
—Emily Farris, Bon Appetit Magazine, 11 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for grubby
David Kamp, New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2025
Don Quixote is about refusing to see the world in its actual grubby reality; to rather gild it in the beauties of our own invention.
—Ed Simon
september 22, Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2025
Still, unlacquered brass hardware gets very grubby over the years from countless fingers grabbing handles and pulls.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 16 Sep. 2025
The hinged handle has grippy silicone for little hands, plus a push-button lid that snaps shut to keep the straw clean (because those little hands can get more than a little grubby and germy as the day goes on).
—Emily Farris, Bon Appetit Magazine, 11 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for grubby
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grubby
Adjective
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The couple slept on a filthy mattress on the floor with their 4-year-old son, Stephano.—
Daniel Gonzalez,
AZCentral.com,
6 Nov. 2025
-
The big comedy set pieces overwhelm Miller’s attempts at satire, but any movie that has Nicholson casually dropping filthy double (and single) entendres beneath arched eyebrows is worth a look.—
Keith Phipps,
Vulture,
31 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Bliss is said to have examined Garfield's wounds with unwashed hands and dirty tools, and the president's death further damaged his reputation.—
Allison DeGrushe,
Entertainment Weekly,
10 Nov. 2025
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Solar power cuts greenhouse gas emissions and local air pollution from dirty generators that can cause health problems.—
Jeff Young,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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People pour in from the dense warrens of India’s financial capital and from dusty villages thousands of kilometers away, all flowing towards the fortified, sea-facing Mumbai home of actor Shah Rukh Khan.—
Rhea Mogul,
CNN Money,
9 Nov. 2025
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Workers are startled when a jar tumbles out of a dusty box and rolls onto the ground.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
6 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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The Chinese retailer, known for its range of cheap ultra-fast-fashion clothing and criticisms of its labor and environmental practices, is nestled on the sixth floor of a more than century-old building in Paris, a city famous for high-end fashion and a recent green push.—
Miranda Jeyaretnam,
Time,
7 Nov. 2025
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The other side of this has been the money in the industry’s pivot first to cheaper talk shows, which don’t innovate enough to merit much critique, and now to a second pivot to turn those interview shows into video series, which makes podcasts more friendly on TikTok and Instagram and YouTube.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
Among them is the question of whether to use stained parts of the haversacks — possibly containing blood — on the straps’ reverse side, or to cut around them entirely.—
Oscar Holland,
CNN Money,
6 Nov. 2025
-
The stained glass traces a hierarchy from the current dean to the Crown and then to God.—
Rick Burton,
Sportico.com,
6 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
The flowers are the best, even if the leaves are lame and flop over.—
Joshua Siskin,
Oc Register,
25 Oct. 2025
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Cut to Culhane doing lame bits with chopsticks as walrus teeth.—
Gil Kaufman,
Billboard,
24 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The land, unfenced, abuts a bald blackened hillside that must be public land.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Aug. 2025
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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
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Even the minimum requirement — qualifying for the Champions League — depends on it because six points out of a possible 18 away from home so far is pitiful.—
James Pearce,
New York Times,
10 Nov. 2025
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With a release on just over 2,000 screens, that's a pitiful per-theater-average of $649.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
9 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Grubby.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grubby. Accessed 30 Nov. 2025.
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