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:
From Stanley cups to dirty soda franchises, everything’s a little bit more SEC and a little less Ivy in 2026.
From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026
In an accompanying video, Mr. Robbins explained his post, saying, “Gloves off. You wanna play dirty, we’re gonna play dirty.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
Wales' only two-Michelin-star restaurant which received a one-star food hygiene rating after inspectors found flies, broken equipment and a dirty knife has had its five-star rating restored.
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026
When it came to hyperscale data centers, Blegay likewise emphasized the need for countywide standards instead of deciding key matters, such as clean vs. dirty energy sources, on a project-by-project basis.
From Slate ● Aug. 6, 2026
Most patients sleep on dirty floors and there’s a constant shortage of food, medicine, and clean water.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
Natural gas has long been billed as a "bridge fuel" between dirtier polluting fossil fuels and renewables such as wind and solar.
From Barron's ● Jul. 25, 2026
Its reliance on imports has been increasing as domestic oil and gas fields such as the North Sea basin deplete and climate policies phase out dirtier fuels including coal.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 11, 2026
“The dirtier the script, the more loved it is.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 19, 2025
All I need to do is hunt for some dirty water, the dirtier the better, dip the vials in and screw on the lid.
From BBC ● Jun. 27, 2025
"The dirtier you are, the less you smell."
From "The Witches" by Roald Dahl
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
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
It ranges from the greenest to the dirtiest, from established technologies to speculative ones, and even includes companies that play tangential roles in the sector.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 24, 2025
Santa Monica Pier routinely tops the yearly list of the state’s dirtiest beaches by environmental nonprofit Heal the Bay, which tests waters up and down the California coast for fecal bacteria, which can harm beachgoers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 15, 2025
Hailey and Maya shoot him the dirtiest looks.
From "The Hate U Give" by Angie Thomas
“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
During one spurt of construction, High Point offered free carwashes and valet service because the dust dirtied vehicles and the work limited parking.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2025
The birds have defaced houses in Mombasa by defecating on the walls and roofs, while many people shy away from sitting under tree shades for fear of being dirtied by their droppings.
From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2024
“Game of Thrones” dirtied up the high-fantasy genre; “Deadwood” the Western; “Watchmen” the superhero story.
From New York Times ● May 6, 2024
It depicts the bust of Sir Ernest Shackleton, wearing dirtied yellow suspenders, his face benevolent and tough, but blurred by the thickness of the paint on canvas.
From Salon ● May 29, 2023
As a result, Jackal became too fat to run after Hare as he went to the water and drank half of what was there and dirtied the rest.
From "The Girl Who Married a Lion: and Other Tales from Africa" by Alexander Mccall Smith
She said the latest ban will "protect the environment and help to cut litter - stopping plastic pollution dirtying our streets and threatening our wildlife".
From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2023
Osaka prefectural police on Wednesday said Ryu Shimazu and Toshihide Oka were arrested on suspicion of obstructing business and destroying and dirtying property.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 5, 2023
It’s a plan that risks pleasing no one, while also dirtying the company’s valuation.
From Reuters ● Feb. 15, 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
The idea of Francis and me dirtying our hands with experiments brought unconcealed amusement.
From "Double Helix" by James D. Watson
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.
