dingy
Americanadjective
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of a dark, dull, or dirty color or aspect; lacking brightness or freshness.
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shabby; dismal.
adjective
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lacking light or brightness; drab
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dirty; discoloured
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of dingy
First recorded in 1730–40; origin uncertain
Explanation
If something is dingy, it's dirty. If you spend your days as a chimney sweeper, you probably look pretty dingy. The adjective dingy is often, but not always, used to describe one's clothing or living space. The adjective dingy comes from uncertain origins, but experts suspect it may be a backformation from the word dung, which is animal excrement. So you can imagine how dirty, dismal, grungy, and grimy something described as dingy is.
Vocabulary lists containing dingy
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"Everyday Use" by Alice Walker
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It is now a sanctuary for over 30 species of butterflies including Chalk-hill Blue, Wall Brown, Dingy Skipper and Grizzled Skipper, continuing to hide the site's secretive past.
From BBC • Mar. 23, 2025
Dingy hallways and run-down communal spaces lead to modest apartments, many of which haven’t been updated in years.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 27, 2022
Dingy pairs of sneakers and pillows rest on the shaded and trampled earth, as does a scorched metal bowl.
From Washington Times • Feb. 24, 2020
Dingy communicants, bearded, bright-eyed, breathless, gazed in fascination at a plain wooden table which stood before the altar.
From Time Magazine Archive
Dingy linoleum and appliances lining a single wall remind Gogol of his former place on Amsterdam Avenue.
From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
