dirty
Americanadjective
-
dirtier,
comparative
-
dirtiest
superlative
-
soiled with dirt; foul; unclean.
dirty laundry.
-
spreading or imparting dirt; soiling.
dirty smoke.
-
vile; mean; sordid; contemptible.
to play a dirty trick on someone.
- Synonyms:
- shabby, low, execrable, despicable, base
-
obscene; pornographic; indecent.
a dirty joke.
- Synonyms:
- vulgar, raunchy, lewd, lascivious, nasty
-
undesirable or unpleasant; thankless.
He left the dirty work for me.
-
very unfortunate or regrettable.
That's a dirty shame!
-
not fair or sportsmanlike; unscrupulous.
a dirty fighter.
-
hostile, insulting, contemptuous, or resentful.
She gave me a dirty look.
He made a dirty crack about the cooking.
-
(of a nuclear weapon) producing a relatively large amount of radioactive fallout.
-
(of the weather) stormy; squally.
It looks dirty to windward.
-
Informal. obtained through illegal or disreputable means.
dirty money.
-
appearing as if soiled; dark-colored; dingy; drab.
- Synonyms:
- dull
-
Slang. using or in possession of narcotics.
-
Foreign Exchange. (of currency floats) manipulated, as by a central bank influencing or changing exchange rates (opposed to clean).
verb (used with or without object)
-
dirties,
present (3rd person singular)
-
dirtied,
past participle, past
-
dirtying
present participle
adverb
-
Informal. in a mean, unscrupulous, or underhand way.
to play dirty.
-
Informal. in a lewd manner.
to talk dirty.
idioms
adjective
-
covered or marked with dirt; filthy
-
-
obscene; salacious
dirty books
-
sexually clandestine
a dirty weekend
-
-
causing one to become grimy
a dirty job
-
(of a colour) not clear and bright; impure
-
unfair; dishonest; unscrupulous; unsporting
-
mean; nasty
a dirty cheat
-
scandalous; unkind
a dirty rumour
-
revealing dislike or anger
a dirty look
-
(of weather) rainy or squally; stormy
-
(of an aircraft) having projections into the airstream, such as lowered flaps
-
(of an explosive device) modified to cause radioactive contamination Compare clean
-
slang to be offended by or be hostile towards
-
a despicable person
-
informal intimate secrets, esp those that might give rise to gossip
-
slang dishonest behaviour
-
-
an obscene word
-
something that is regarded with disapproval
federalism is a dirty word
-
-
unpleasant or illicit activity
-
informal to behave meanly or unkindly towards
verb
Synonym Usage
Dirty, filthy, foul, squalid refer to that which is not clean. Dirty is applied to that which is filled or covered with dirt so that it is unclean or defiled: dirty clothes. Filthy is an emphatic word suggesting something that is excessively soiled or dirty: filthy streets. Both dirty and filthy can refer to obscenity: a dirty mind, a filthy novel. Foul implies an uncleanness that is grossly offensive to the senses: a foul odor. Squalid, applied usually to dwellings or surroundings, implies dirtiness that results from the slovenly indifference often associated with poverty: a squalid tenement.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
dirtysimple
-
dirtiessimple
-
have dirtiedperfect
-
has dirtiedperfect
-
am dirtyingprogressive
-
are dirtyingprogressive
-
is dirtyingprogressive
-
have been dirtyingperfect progressive
-
has been dirtyingperfect progressive
Past
-
dirtiedsimple
-
had dirtiedperfect
-
was dirtyingprogressive
-
were dirtyingprogressive
-
had been dirtyingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of dirty
Explanation
Things that aren't clean are dirty. The greasy pans in your sink, your muddy shoes, your smelly dog, your strange uncle's jokes — all of these things are dirty. When your car is dirty, you should to take it to the car wash, and when your hands are dirty, you need to be sure to wash them with soap and warm water. Some jobs are dirty, like mining, farming, and ditch digging, and the adjective dirty is sometimes used to mean "contaminating" or "poisonous," as with "dirty bombs." If you call your friend a "dirty rat," you mean to let him know you're disgusted with him.
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.
See Examples For:
Thus did that dirty trick get turned on its head, producing the adage “The coverup is worse than the crime.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2026
For Foskett, there is a difference between being a considerate guest – "putting your dirty dishes in the dishwasher" – and being "expected to prepare the property for the next guests".
From BBC ● Nov. 1, 2026
Under its new rules, hosts may ask guests to place dirty dishes in the sink, but generally cannot require them to wash and put those dishes away.
From Salon ● Oct. 28, 2026
Researchers at New York University said that many of their predictions may rely on what they call "dirty data".
From BBC ● Oct. 25, 2026
I found him under the big maple tree, trying to keep his brothers and sisters from getting dirty.
From "The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs" by Betty G. Birney
Surely there remain easier, quicker, dirtier ways to get there.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
On the other hand, as the New York Times reports, some countries may be forced to go back to outdated and even dirtier resources like coal.
From Salon ● Mar. 17, 2026
The new kind of power purchases they’re making are mission critical, much more expensive, and almost certainly dirtier from an environmental perspective, she said.
From Barron's ● Feb. 25, 2026
"It's gone to China, where it's made in a dirtier way," she told the BBC.
From BBC ● Feb. 13, 2026
It was harder to say who was dirtier, the children or the beasts.
From "Crispin: The Cross of Lead" by Avi
The town, just a short drive from the capital, Pristina, produces almost all of the country's electricity by burning lignite, the lowest-quality and dirtiest coal, dug from nearby pits.
From Barron's ● Aug. 28, 2026
Listening to “The Boutique,” I feel like I should be smoking a cigarette and drinking the dirtiest martini known to man in a speakeasy, wearing a drop waist silk dress and bright red lipstick.
From Salon ● Jun. 5, 2026
Coal is relatively inexpensive to produce but is the dirtiest fossil fuel, releasing considerable particulate air pollution, sulfur dioxide and mercury, and nearly twice the planet-warming carbon dioxide as natural gas.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 11, 2026
At Murphy Road Recycling’s material recovery facility near Hartford, the machines are taking over the dirtiest jobs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 7, 2026
Always they were the scrawniest or the ugliest or the dirtiest or the stupidest boys, picked on by everyone else, with no one left uglier or stupider than they but her.
From "The Midwife's Apprentice" by Karen Cushman
“Today, there are also open drains lining homes which dirties the blue paint and damages the walls,” says Mr Dave.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2024
“It dirties up a case. It brings in more otherwise inadmissible information,” said Hamasaki, who is now running for San Francisco district attorney.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2022
Buying two or three sets of sheets does mean using up some already limited storage, but students not terribly laundry-responsible won’t go into crisis when the dirties pile up.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 20, 2022
"This summit does not dignify anyone, rather, it dirties them, it sullies them. We Latin Americans have to defend ourselves so that they respect us."
From Reuters ● May 19, 2022
Whenever he feels trapped and panic sets in, he loses control and dirties himself.
From "Flowers for Algernon" by Daniel Keyes
She posed dirtied, disheveled and apparently desperate in front of a spotless stoop — then hit post on Instagram.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 2, 2026
"It's hard to admit when you've really screwed up," the billionaire, 85, wrote on Instagram after she deleted a photo of herself in ripped jeans, a torn sweater and a dirtied face.
From Barron's ● Nov. 2, 2026
It was all there: The windswept bangs, the naturalistic lighting highlighting perfect cheekbones, the flowing, unstructured dresses and dirtied booties.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
I had not dirtied anything requiring an overnight soak.
From Salon ● Sep. 20, 2026
How can a wife keep her husband’s household in order if she has never dirtied her own hands, Huang Taitai used to say as she introduced me to a new task.
From "The Joy Luck Club" by Amy Tan
To prevent that dust from dirtying the bed, clean the fan after you strip the sheets and before you vacuum the mattress.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 16, 2024
It’s a plan that risks pleasing no one, while also dirtying the company’s valuation.
From Reuters ● Feb. 15, 2023
Next, the dough gets slathered with a honey butter you can make in the microwave if you don’t feel like dirtying a saucepan.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 8, 2023
“But he said arguments spoil its beauty, and that he would feel as if he was dirtying a flower with muddy hands.”
From New York Times ● Apr. 6, 2022
Ma rolls the wheelchair back so we have enough space to slide out of the pew without tripping or brushing against the wheels of her chair and dirtying up our holy dresses.
From "Patina" by Jason Reynolds
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