gritty

[ grit-ee ]

/ ˈgrɪt i /

consisting of, containing, or resembling grit; sandy.

resolute and courageous; plucky.

Origin of gritty

First recorded in 1590–1600; grit + -y¹

grit·ti·ly, adverb grit·ti·ness, noun un·grit·ty, adjective

This is action on a grand scale that, despite its grittiness and naturalism, boasts very high production values.

‘Captain Phillips’ Is a Gripping, Award-Worthy Film |Marlow Stern |September 28, 2013 |DAILY BEAST
“Grittiness is what differentiated it in from the beginning,” Henderson said.

‘True Blood’ Premiere: Is Sex the Only Reason We’re Still Watching? |Kevin Fallon |June 14, 2013 |DAILY BEAST
As with the teen drama Skins, it was that British grittiness that was part of the allure to millions of teenage viewers.

British Raunchfest ‘The Inbetweeners Movie’ Tries to Make Its Mark in America |Kevin Fallon |September 8, 2012 |DAILY BEAST
Very often the texture of pear-flesh is marred by grittiness to which some varieties are much more subject than others.

The Pears of New York |U. P. Hedrick

The flesh is juicy, tender, vinous, free from grittiness and seldom rots at the core.

The Pears of New York |U. P. Hedrick
For suddenly he was surprised by a most disagreeable sense of grittiness, and then a keen stab in the roof of his month.

Library Of The World's Best Literature, Ancient And Modern, Vol. 5 |Various
A greyish-yellow powder free from grittiness, and with no smell of sulphuretted hydrogen.

Cooley's Practical Receipts, Volume II |Arnold Cooley
Its grittiness would hurt the newborn weaklings, its dryness would absorb the moisture indispensable to their movements.

The Life of the Fly |J. Henri Fabre

gritty

/ (ˈɡrɪtɪ) /

courageous; hardy; resolute

of, like, or containing grit

grittily, adverb grittiness, noun