1
as in filthy
not clean
after working in the factory all day, his clothes are very dirty
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in obscene
depicting or referring to sexual matters in a way that is unacceptable in polite society
some radio stations refused to play the song because of the dirty lyrics
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3
as in turbulent
marked by wet and windy conditions
they were unknowingly sailing into dirty weather
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4
as in foul
not being in accordance with the rules or standards of what is fair in sport
the school is known for the dirty football it plays
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5
as in nasty
not following or in accordance with standards of honor and decency
accused the other campaign of playing dirty tricks
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6
as in cheap
arousing or deserving of one's loathing and disgust
laying off longtime employees was a dirty way for the company to reduce labor costs and save money
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7
as in corruptible
open to improper influence and especially bribery
a movie about a dirty cop paid to protect a mafioso
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as in to stain
to make dirty
she dirtied her new sneakers when she splashed in the puddle
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as in illegally
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Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of dirty
Kevinisha Walker, Los Angeles Times, 15 June 2026
Methane intensity — emissions per unit of gas produced — is fast becoming the yardstick by which a cargo is judged clean or dirty.
—Dara-Abasi Ita, Forbes.com, 13 June 2026
Adam Roy, Outside, 28 Dec. 2025
Garments can be dirtied again by the elements if air-dried outside.
—Mary Cornetta, Better Homes & Gardens, 20 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dirty
Adjective
For the fifth year in a row, that area made Heal the Bay’s dirtiest beaches list.
—Kevinisha Walker, Los Angeles Times, 15 June 2026
Methane intensity — emissions per unit of gas produced — is fast becoming the yardstick by which a cargo is judged clean or dirty.
—Dara-Abasi Ita, Forbes.com, 13 June 2026
Verb
Keep them in reserve as a sleep sock to ward off icy toes and prevent sweat and skin oils from dirtying your down sleeping bag.
—Adam Roy, Outside, 28 Dec. 2025
Garments can be dirtied again by the elements if air-dried outside.
—Mary Cornetta, Better Homes & Gardens, 20 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dirty
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dirty
Adjective
-
But, the freedom loving sane people of this great country came to Karoline's defense to show support, destroy the filthy LIBS and celebrate the greatest press secretary this country has ever employed.—
Joe Kinsey OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
16 June 2026
-
Fans fought in the streets, heaved bottles, smashed windows and shouted filthy insults in the melee, which left nearly 50 people injured.—
AJ Willingham,
AJC.com,
15 June 2026
Adjective
-
Friis Bach, who was then chairman of the Folketing’s secretive Foreign Policy Committee, was asked in early January to begin considering the obscene logistics of a mass evacuation of Greenland.—
Joshua Hunt,
Vanity Fair,
17 June 2026
-
The amount of money spent on election campaigns is absolutely obscene.—
U T Readers,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
17 June 2026
Adjective
-
The discovery is so surprising because even though AGNs are rich with gas and dust — the building blocks of planets — the turbulent conditions within the disks wouldn't generally be considered ideal for forming planets.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
14 June 2026
-
The weekend’s severe weather follows a turbulent stretch earlier this week, when severe weather placed 13 million people under flood watches and triggered widespread power outages.—
Christine Rapp,
NBC news,
13 June 2026
Adjective
-
Then left fielder Alex Call ran into the retaining wall in foul territory to catch Edgar Quero’s fly ball for the final out of the inning.—
Maddie Lee,
Los Angeles Times,
13 June 2026
-
From the early challenge that reversed Wembanyama's foul, to its 3-point shooting, absolutely everything has gone San Antonio's way in Game 4.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
11 June 2026
Adjective
-
Those early 2010s Blackhawks teams were nasty, and they were all led by Toews.—
Matt Reigle,
FOXNews.com,
19 June 2026
-
Lindy Ruff’s system was a tough fit, and a nasty ankle injury derailed his initial momentum in upstate New York.—
Dieter Kurtenbach,
Mercury News,
17 June 2026
Adjective
-
The pricier piece is often the cheaper one to own.—
Ryan Brennan,
Charlotte Observer,
19 June 2026
-
That marks a shift from an older data-center playbook built around cheap land, fiber access and tax incentives, with power planning often becoming a constraint later in the process.—
Ron Schmelzer,
Forbes.com,
19 June 2026
Adjective
-
Beef’s whole thing is finding the weak, corruptible center of all its characters, and Isaac jumps into that project with enthusiasm.—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
2 May 2026
-
From fragmented records to corruptible datasets and the general noise across social media, agentic systems are facing a trust and truth crisis at the most fundamental level.—
Lawrence Wintermeyer,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
No public executions stained the squares.—
Adam Kirsch,
The Atlantic,
15 June 2026
-
In another video published by B’Tselem capturing the moments after the incident, Sam’s father can be seen standing by the car, cradling his baby, whose bright yellow clothing can be seen stained with blood.—
Sarah Dean,
NBC news,
12 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dirty.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dirty. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
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