dirty

[dur-tee]

adjective

dirtier, dirtiest 

1. soiled with dirt; foul; unclean.

   dirty laundry.

   Synonyms: unclean, grimy

2. spreading or imparting dirt; soiling.

   dirty smoke.

3. vile; mean; sordid; contemptible.

   to play a dirty trick on someone.

   Synonyms: shabby, low, execrable, despicable, base

4. obscene; pornographic; indecent.

   a dirty joke.

   Synonyms: vulgar, raunchy, lewd, lascivious, nasty

5. undesirable or unpleasant; thankless.

   He left the dirty work for me.

6. very unfortunate or regrettable.

   That's a dirty shame!

7. not fair or sportsmanlike; unscrupulous.

   a dirty fighter.

8. hostile, insulting, contemptuous, or resentful.

   She gave me a dirty look.

   He made a dirty crack about the cooking.

9. (of a nuclear weapon) producing a relatively large amount of radioactive fallout.

10. (of the weather) stormy; squally.

    It looks dirty to windward.

    Synonyms: nasty, inclement, foul, rainy

11. Informal.,  obtained through illegal or disreputable means.

    dirty money.

12. appearing as if soiled; dark-colored; dingy; drab.

    Synonyms: dull

13. Slang.,  using or in possession of narcotics.

14. Foreign Exchange.,  (of currency floats) manipulated, as by a central bank influencing or changing exchange rates (clean ).

verb (used with or without object)

dirtied, dirtying 

1. to make or become dirty.

   Synonyms: sully, befoul, soil

adverb

1. Informal.,  in a mean, unscrupulous, or underhand way.

   to play dirty.

2. Informal.,  in a lewd manner.

   to talk dirty.

dirty

/ ˈdɜːtɪ /

adjective

1. covered or marked with dirt; filthy

2. 1. obscene; salacious

      dirty books

   2. sexually clandestine

      a dirty weekend

3. causing one to become grimy

   a dirty job

4. (of a colour) not clear and bright; impure

5. unfair; dishonest; unscrupulous; unsporting

6. mean; nasty

   a dirty cheat

7. scandalous; unkind

   a dirty rumour

8. revealing dislike or anger

   a dirty look

9. (of weather) rainy or squally; stormy

10. (of an aircraft) having projections into the airstream, such as lowered flaps

11. (of an explosive device) modified to cause radioactive contamination Compare clean

12. slang,  to be offended by or be hostile towards

13. a despicable person

14. informal,  intimate secrets, esp those that might give rise to gossip

15. slang,  dishonest behaviour

16. 1. an obscene word

    2. something that is regarded with disapproval

       federalism is a dirty word

17. unpleasant or illicit activity

18. informal,  to behave meanly or unkindly towards

verb

1. to make or become dirty; stain; soil

Other Word Forms

• dirtily adverb
• dirtiness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of dirty¹

First recorded in 1520–30; dirt + -y ¹

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. do (someone) dirty, to treat unfairly or reprehensibly, as by cheating or slandering.

More idioms and phrases containing dirty

• down and dirty
• wash one's dirty linen in public

Synonym Study

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.

Example Sentences

“He comes in … being able to do the tough things — the dirty work.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

That dirty air did a similar job to shipping in reflecting sunlight away, while cleaning it up could have had the unintended consequence of allowing more ocean heating.

Read more on BBC

This Victor does his own dirty work and what goes wrong is his fault.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

To solve each mystery, Jessica’s willing to get her hands dirty, literally and figuratively.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Cooper said: "Together with our US allies, we are taking decisive action to combat the growing transnational threat posed by this network - upholding human rights, protecting British nationals and keeping dirty money off our streets."

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• contaminated www.thesaurus.com
• crummy 
• disheveled 
• dusty 
• filthy 
• greasy 
• grimy 
• messy 
• muddy 
• murky 
• nasty 
• polluted 
• sloppy 
• stained www.thesaurus.com
• unkempt