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Gritty comes from grit ("small hard granules"), which in turn derives, via Middle English, from an Old English word for "sand" or "gravel." Grit has been around since before the 12th century, but the first appearance of gritty in print in English was near the end of the 16th century, when it was used in the sense of "resembling or containing small hard granules." Grit entered American slang with the meaning "courage or persistence" in the early 19th century, and gritty followed suit with a corresponding "plucky" sense. By the 19th century's end, gritty was also being used to describe a literary style that was rough and coarse.
Examples of gritty in a Sentence
Dan Woike, Los Angeles Times, 22 Dec. 2024
The gritty, compelling biopic tells the story of Claressa Shields, the two-time Olympic boxing champion who has gone on to win all 15 of her matches as a professional.
—Julie Hinds, Detroit Free Press, 21 Dec. 2024
Then there was a gritty draw at Rapid Vienna and last week’s emphatic 3-0 win against the Bosnian champions Borac Banja Luka.
—Dermot Corrigan, The Athletic, 19 Dec. 2024
Costner's most recent successful project, of course, is Yellowstone: the gritty Wild West drama of the Dutton family.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 16 Dec. 2024
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Dictionary Entries Near gritty
Cite this Entry
“Gritty.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gritty. Accessed 30 Dec. 2024.
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