1
as in filthy
not clean
clean off those grubby hands before you touch anything
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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
Meanwhile, in the grubby streets of Buffalo (hey, what did Buffalo do to deserve this!), Simone’s older sister Devon is getting home one morning after her second DUI.
—
Nina Metz, Chicago Tribune, 22 May 2025
But watching a group of roughnecks on a rig in grubby overalls moving huge, long steel pipes, Dugan's smile begins to fade to a smirk.
—Kirk Siegler, NPR, 24 Apr. 2025
The Belvedere is one of the old buildings in Queens whose name conjures up a sense of grandiosity in our grubby city lives.
—Clio Chang, Curbed, 25 Feb. 2025
Despite the grim proceedings and grubby environment, the spatial arrangement of the image brings to mind a theatre balcony packed with eager punters ready to consume their money’s worth of entertainment.
—Naomi Fry, The New Yorker, 22 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for grubby
Nina Metz, Chicago Tribune, 22 May 2025
But watching a group of roughnecks on a rig in grubby overalls moving huge, long steel pipes, Dugan's smile begins to fade to a smirk.
—Kirk Siegler, NPR, 24 Apr. 2025
The Belvedere is one of the old buildings in Queens whose name conjures up a sense of grandiosity in our grubby city lives.
—Clio Chang, Curbed, 25 Feb. 2025
Despite the grim proceedings and grubby environment, the spatial arrangement of the image brings to mind a theatre balcony packed with eager punters ready to consume their money’s worth of entertainment.
—Naomi Fry, The New Yorker, 22 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for grubby
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grubby
Adjective
-
Away from a filthy Superdome and Convention Center where they had been holed up for days.—
Suzette Hackney,
USA Today,
5 Sep. 2025
-
Alexander pulled out a baby-blue melodica to lay down a filthy ska rhythm for his band.—
Hannah Edgar,
Chicago Tribune,
1 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Wearing shoes in the home tracks soil from outside, leaving floors dirtier and requiring more frequent sweeping.—
Jolie Kerr,
Better Homes & Gardens,
9 Sep. 2025
-
Laptop screens get spattered, smeared, dusty, and dirty from frequent use.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
9 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Use the floor brush for stairs, the crevice tool for windowsills and couch cushions, and the dusting brush for dusty surfaces.—
Isabel Garcia,
PEOPLE,
5 Sep. 2025
-
Poor Ventilation Along with the increase in moisture and humidity, another leading cause for a dusty bathroom is poor ventilation.—
Ashlyn Needham,
Southern Living,
5 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The efficiency and immediacy of space medicine may well influence healthcare innovation far beyond orbit, inspiring systems that are faster, cheaper, and more accessible.—
Bernard Marr,
Forbes.com,
12 Sep. 2025
-
But because the signals are so faint, they can be drowned out by cheap jammers or replaced by counterfeit ones.—
Kapil Kajal,
Interesting Engineering,
11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Dip a microfiber cloth in the solution and saturate the stained area.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
6 Sep. 2025
-
Hold the stained fabric taut and let the water flow from the back of the shirt to the front, allowing the water to push the stain away from the fabric rather than through it.—
Jolie Kerr,
Better Homes & Gardens,
4 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Shootouts are lame in comparison.—
Chris Branch,
New York Times,
19 Aug. 2025
-
On the other hand, Powell probably has little incentive to commit firmly given high lame-duck status and the fact that more employment and inflation numbers will hit before the September meeting.—
Michael Santoli,
CNBC,
18 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
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
-
As del Toro sees it, Frankenstein’s pitiful creation has been cursed with life, cannot be killed (even bullets don’t stop him) and must face the same existential crisis that confronts us all.—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
30 Aug. 2025
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Over 1,000 murdered whilst queuing for aid, starved due to their siege, whilst pitiful amounts of aid delivered by a sham agency controlled by Israel.—
Emily Zemler,
Rolling Stone,
20 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Grubby.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grubby. Accessed 12 Sep. 2025.
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