grubby

1 of 2

adjective

grub·​by ˈgrə-bē How to pronounce grubby (audio)
grubbier; grubbiest
Synonyms of grubbynext
1
: infested with fly maggots
2
a
: dirty, grimy
grubby hands
a grubby garage
b
: slovenly, sloppy
… her grubby and disheveled condition …—P. G. Wodehouse
3
: worthy of contempt : base
grubby political motives
… became involved in grubby squabbles over money …—Clive Gammon
grubbily
ˈgrə-bə-lē How to pronounce grubby (audio)
adverb
grubbiness
ˈgrə-bē-nəs How to pronounce grubby (audio)
noun

grubbiness

2 of 2

noun

grub·​bi·​ness -bēnə̇s How to pronounce grubbiness (audio)
-bin-
plural -es
: the state of being grubby:
a
: the condition of being dirty, grimy, or slovenly : grubby look
her occasional appearances in bare feet and her general look of grubbiness—Life
b
: sordidness, meanness
the grubbiness of being poor—Willa Cather

Synonyms of grubby

Relevance

Adjective

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of grubby in a Sentence

Adjective He lives in a grubby little apartment. clean off those grubby hands before you touch anything
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Adjective
To clean a really grubby baseboard, use a cloth and soapy water to remove dirt and stains. — Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 20 Nov. 2025 Yet its misguided grubby reputation is being peeled away to reveal the wealth of cultural and culinary treats. — Duncan Madden, Forbes.com, 16 Jan. 2026 The ceramic interior is easy to clean and the fingerprint-resistant finish keeps the exterior from looking grubby. — Bestreviews, Mercury News, 26 Feb. 2026 The mighty American sub surfaces in England only in grubby Subway franchises in tourist locations. — Dominic Green, The Washington Examiner, 20 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for grubby

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1725, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of grubby was in 1725

Rhymes for grubby

See All Rhymes for grubby

Browse Nearby Words

Grubbs
grubby
grub hoe
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Grubby.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grubby. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

More from Merriam-Webster on grubby

Nglish: Translation of grubby for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of gambol

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All