grubby

¹

[gruhb-ee]

adjective

grubbier, grubbiest 

1. dirty; slovenly.

   children with grubby faces and sad eyes.

   Synonyms: bedraggled, filthy, messy, unkempt, grimy

2. infested with or affected by grubs or larvae.

3. contemptible.

   grubby political tricks.

grubby

²

[gruhb-ee]

noun

plural

grubbies 

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

grubby

/ ˈɡrʌbɪ /

adjective

1. dirty; slovenly

2. mean; beggarly

3. infested with grubs

Other Word Forms

• grubbily adverb
• grubbiness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of grubby¹

First recorded in 1605–15; grub + -y ¹

Origin of grubby²

Origin uncertain

Example Sentences

"After a really busy summer the city can look a bit grubby and that's just because we don't have the money to keep it to a good standard," he said.

Read more on BBC

He stress-tests our icky, grubby pity for Matthew and, beyond that, the flimsiness of modern fame culture and its fake-it-till-you-make-it inspirational platitudes.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

There were a few water taps around the edges but no proper showers and only grubby blankets on the floor.

Read more on BBC

A massive "Home Furnishings" banner glares over the line of grubby once-white caravans, many with padlocked doors and windows taped shut.

Read more on BBC

At the risk of sounding like a grubby leftist that Republicans want to ignore, but the GOP has what you might call a collective action problem.

Read more on Salon

Related Words

• filthy 
• grimy 
• grungy 
• messy 
• seedy 
• shabby 
• soiled www.thesaurus.com
• squalid 
• unkempt