dingy

[din-jee]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR dingy ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective, din·gi·er, din·gi·est.

of a dark, dull, or dirty color or aspect; lacking brightness or freshness.

shabby; dismal.

Nearby words

Origin of dingy

First recorded in 1730–40; origin uncertain

Related formsdin·gi·ly, adverbdin·gi·ness, noun

Can be confuseddinghy dingy

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for dingy

He has a majestic view of the dingy back entrance of a Hilton hotel.
Dean Baquet, the NYT’s Executive Editor, on Jill Abramson, Race, Surviving Cancer—and TMZ Envy|Lloyd Grove|September 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
On a cold, foggy night On Feb 26, 1998 I walked out a dingy hotel in handcuffs.
I Detoxed from Heroin in Jail|Tracey Mitchell|June 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Then I turned to the right and stopped before a dingy shop which bore the sign: HAWBERK, ARMOURER.
Read ‘The King in Yellow,’ the ‘True Detective’ Reference That’s the Key to the Show|Robert W. Chambers|February 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
That night, I dreamed of a square, three-story, concrete building that was dark and dingy with filth, dust, and cobwebs.
A Brigham Young University Professor’s Escape from Mormonism|Lynn K. Wilder|October 20, 2013|DAILY BEAST

When she came to power in 1978, Britain was a dreary, dreary place: dingy, funereal, abashed, scruffy, feckless.
How Margaret Thatcher Transformed British Politics|Tunku Varadarajan|April 8, 2013|DAILY BEAST
"In Europe we're almost bound to admire the dingy, if not the ugly," returned Uncle Jim.
Irma in Italy|Helen Leah Reed
Next door to the Mission, a dingy annexe to a sort of grocery, labelled the “British Bar,” was not neglected.
The Bonadventure|Edmund Blunden
On hearing she would soon appear in the dingy lodging-house, Hogg knew that on her arrival he would be face to face with a foe.
The Real Shelley, Vol. I (of 2)|John Cordy Jeaffreson
In truth, the sunshine pictures of Turner were evolved from a life as dingy and uncomely as could well be.
Art in England|Dutton Cook
He had observed that the young women drew instinctively away from the dingy figure, and his smile was not restrained.
The Road Builders|Samuel Merwin

British Dictionary definitions for dingy

dingy

adjective -gier or -giest

lacking light or brightness; drab

dirty; discoloured

Derived Formsdingily, adverbdinginess, noun

Word Origin for dingy

C18: perhaps from an earlier dialect word related to Old English dynge dung

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for dingy

dingy

adj.

1736, Kentish dialect, "dirty," of uncertain origin, but perhaps related to dung. The noun dinge (1816) is a back-formation.

dingy

adjective, din·gi·er, din·gi·est.

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of dingy

Examples from the Web for dingy

dingy

adjective -gier or -giest

Word Origin for dingy

dingy