grubby

[ gruhb-ee ]

/ ˈgrʌb i /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR grubby ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective, grub·bi·er, grub·bi·est.

dirty; slovenly: children with grubby faces and sad eyes.

infested with or affected by grubs or larvae.

contemptible: grubby political tricks.

Origin of grubby

First recorded in 1605–15; grub + -y¹

SYNONYMS FOR grubby

1 grimy, unkempt, messy, filthy, bedraggled.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR grubby ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM grubby

grub·bi·ly, adverb grub·bi·ness, noun

Words nearby grubby

grub hoe, grub saw, grub screw, grub street, grubber, grubby, gruber, grubstake, grubstreet, grubworm, grudge

Definition for grubby (2 of 2)

grubby ²

[ gruhb-ee ]

/ ˈgrʌb i /

noun, plural grub·bies.

a small sculpin, Myxocephalus aenaeus, inhabiting waters off the coast of New England.

Origin of grubby

origin uncertain

Example sentences from the Web for grubby

But Paltrow and Lively insist on deep meaning besides the grubby business of trade.

Blake Lively Gets Her GOOP On |Tim Teeman |July 23, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Perfume bottles and weathered papyrus replicas gather dust in the grubby window displays of the empty shops.

Egyptian Tomb-Robbing Market Explodes on eBay |Bel Trew |May 31, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
His friend to the north, Paul Kagame, is another authoritarian with grubby hands, feted nonetheless.

Liberian Nostalgia for War Criminal Charles Taylor |Finlay Young |April 28, 2012 |DAILY BEAST
Before the envelope containing salacious details makes it into the grubby hands of the media, tell everything.

Weiner Should’ve Taken the Letterman Approach |Tricia Romano |June 13, 2011 |DAILY BEAST

Each of them was actually owned by more than 25,000 member banks, and one hand washed the grubby hand of the other.

Why Did Visa and MasterCard Get Off Scot-Free? |Adam Hanft |May 20, 2009 |DAILY BEAST
He held out a grubby paw and shook the now very much embarrassed Derrick by the hand.

The Woman's Way |Charles Garvice
And, goodness knows, you've had enough to knock you out and to make you think all sorts of grubby thoughts.

Stranded in Arcady |Francis Lynde
The Master looked up and down—he sniffed the air, which was stuffy, with peculiar satisfaction: he smiled upon the grubby houses.

The Ivory Gate, a new edition |Walter Besant
The grubby boy was just too astonished to cry, just too proud of travelling in a carriage.

A Poor Man's House |Stephen Sydney Reynolds
Madame's daughter, I thought, looking up at the woman standing in front of me in a grubby bodice and tousled hair.

Now It Can Be Told |Philip Gibbs

British Dictionary definitions for grubby

grubby

/ (ˈɡrʌbɪ) /

adjective -bier or -biest

dirty; slovenly

mean; beggarly

infested with grubs

Derived forms of grubby

grubbily, adverb grubbiness, noun

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

grubby

adjective, grub·bi·er, grub·bi·est.

Origin of grubby

SYNONYMS FOR grubby

OTHER WORDS FROM grubby

Words nearby grubby

Definition for grubby (2 of 2)

noun, plural grub·bies.

Origin of grubby

Example sentences from the Web for grubby

British Dictionary definitions for grubby

adjective -bier or -biest

Derived forms of grubby

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

grubby

adjective, grub·bi·er, grub·bi·est.

Origin of grubby

SYNONYMS FOR grubby

OTHER WORDS FROM grubby

Words nearby grubby

Definition for grubby (2 of 2)

noun, plural grub·bies.

Origin of grubby

Words related to grubby

Example sentences from the Web for grubby

British Dictionary definitions for grubby

adjective -bier or -biest

Derived forms of grubby