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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
Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 1 Feb. 2025
This weekend, the gritty venues that have kept going through a pandemic and rising costs are rallying together to put on a first-of-its-kind festival called 615 Indie Live.
—Nate Rau, Axios, 31 Jan. 2025
With both teams desperate for points, this should be a hard-fought, gritty showdown between division rivals.
—Dan Perry, Newsweek, 30 Jan. 2025
This transition can also impact and lessen tear production, which can lead to a gritty sensation, blurry vision and discomfort.
—Lauryn Higgins, Flow Space, 29 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for gritty 
Dictionary Entries Near gritty
Cite this Entry
“Gritty.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gritty. Accessed 6 Feb. 2025.
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