1
as in filthy
not clean
after playing outside, the kids came in grungy and in need of a good bath
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in dilapidated
showing signs of advanced wear and tear and neglect
even though this grungy sweatshirt is falling apart, it's still my favorite
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of grungy
In The Maids, for instance, Williams has applied a dewy contemporary sheen to Genet’s grungy French cruelty.
—
Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 27 May 2026
Chu loves hyperrealism or using an ombré effect to mimic dirt, giving it a grungy feel.
—Diana Tsui, Footwear News, 15 May 2026
Nowadays, old-school residents bemoan the neighborhood’s evolution from grungy to grandiose; what was once a warren of hedonism has become a breeding ground for characterless watering holes whose lack of personality is bested only by the exorbitance of their beer prices.
—Dan Stahl, New Yorker, 1 May 2026
Where artists like OsamaSon or Che might choose a beat with a grungy preset, ezcodylee made electric guitar riffs the backbone of his 2025 full-length Stunt and Die 3.
—Vivian Medithi, Pitchfork, 15 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for grungy
Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 27 May 2026
Chu loves hyperrealism or using an ombré effect to mimic dirt, giving it a grungy feel.
—Diana Tsui, Footwear News, 15 May 2026
Nowadays, old-school residents bemoan the neighborhood’s evolution from grungy to grandiose; what was once a warren of hedonism has become a breeding ground for characterless watering holes whose lack of personality is bested only by the exorbitance of their beer prices.
—Dan Stahl, New Yorker, 1 May 2026
Where artists like OsamaSon or Che might choose a beat with a grungy preset, ezcodylee made electric guitar riffs the backbone of his 2025 full-length Stunt and Die 3.
—Vivian Medithi, Pitchfork, 15 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for grungy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grungy
Adjective
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For example, the prescription offered by those who saw a generally healthy way of life as the right way to prevent disease helped propel cleaning up the filthy cities of the Industrial Revolution—and that really did reduce the impact of common fevers.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 June 2026
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For your pickle cravings, there’s no shortage of fantastically filthy martinis chock-full of brine.—
Anna Grace Lee,
Vogue,
9 June 2026
Adjective
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Buck Island offered to sell the dilapidated unit to Brown for $1,000, funded partially with her security deposit.—
Gretchen Morgenson,
NBC news,
10 June 2026
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Here cavernous sheet-metal market halls rub shoulders with dilapidated clapboard stores.—
Duncan Madden,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
Adjective
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It’s been too hot and too dry and too dusty and there was smoke in the air for a couple of days, which sets off my wildfire heckles.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
21 Aug. 2025
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The Creed of Violence is hitting the dusty trail once again, with a new feature adaptation of the 2009 Boston Teran novel in the works.—
Aaron Couch,
HollywoodReporter,
20 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Few sights are as heart-wrenching as a neglected animal in need.—
Allison Moses,
USA Today,
28 Oct. 2025
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Those plans were later abandoned during the pandemic and the house joined Denver’s neglected and derelict building list in 2024.—
Justin Wingerter,
Denver Post,
8 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
Adjective
-
There are two freezer martini variations – one with vodka, served dirty and another with gin and a lemon twist.—
Ella Gonzales,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
16 June 2026
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Wet bathing suits and dirty clothes need somewhere to go once your kid has changed into something dry and clean.—
Lydia Mansel,
Travel + Leisure,
16 June 2026
Adjective
-
Apply to the stained area and work it into the fabric.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
6 June 2026
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The frame structures already standing would hold stained glass in the finished church for a congregation that formed in the 1890s.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
2 June 2026
Adjective
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The town attracts large numbers of laborers who work in large gold mines with muddy pools of gold deposits, narrow pits and caves.—
Justin Kabumba,
Los Angeles Times,
7 June 2026
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The rescue team was able to pump enough water out of the system for four miners to crawl out of the muddy abyss on May 30, authorities said.—
Aicha El Hammar Castano,
ABC News,
7 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Grungy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grungy. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
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