gritty

American  

[grit-ee] / ˈgrɪt i /

adjective

grittier, grittiest

1. consisting of, containing, or resembling grit; sandy.

2. resolute and courageous; plucky.

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gritty British  

/ ˈɡrɪtɪ /

adjective

1. courageous; hardy; resolute

2. of, like, or containing grit

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Other Word Forms

• grittily adverb
• grittiness noun
• ungritty adjective

Etymology

Origin of gritty

First recorded in 1590–1600; grit + -y ¹

Example Sentences

Itauma initially "wanted to be world champion by 20", but these gritty encounters tempered that ambition.

From BBC

In the early ’90s, a distinct penchant for mischief and a grittily glamorous New York edge quickly earned Jacobs the moniker of fashion’s bad boy.

From Salon

Appropriate to a character who lives for being onscreen, “Bait” plays with the language of film — gritty procedural, a burst of Bollywood, romantic comedy — though not necessarily to the usual ends.

From Los Angeles Times

And the cartoonish portrayal of combat using childlike blocky figures helps to sanitize gritty images of war, helping it to get past social media filters—and pushing it far beyond Iran’s borders.

From The Wall Street Journal

He took some dried willow bark from his medicine pouch and chewed it, gagging on its gritty bitterness.

From Literature

Related Words

• dusty
• grainy
• rough