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dirty

[ dur-tee ]

/ ˈdɜr ti /

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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR dirty ON THESAURUS.COM

WATCH NOW: When Did The Meaning Of The Word "Dirty" Change?

WATCH NOW: When Did The Meaning Of The Word "Dirty" Change?

When did the word "dirty" begin to mean promiscuous? Was Christina Aguilera to blame?

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adjective, dirt·i·er, dirt·i·est.

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.

obscene; pornographic; lewd: a dirty joke.

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; murky.

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), dirt·ied, dirt·y·ing.

to make or become dirty.

adverb

Informal. in a mean, unscrupulous, or underhand way: to play dirty.

Informal. in a lewd manner: to talk dirty.

Nearby words

Idioms

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

Origin of dirty

First recorded in 1520–30; dirt + -y¹

SYNONYMS FOR dirty

1 grimy, defiled.

3 base, vulgar, low, shabby, groveling.

4 nasty, lascivious, lecherous.

10 rainy, foul, sloppy, disagreeable, nasty.

12 dull, dark, sullied, clouded.

15 soil, befoul, sully.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR dirty ON THESAURUS.COM

Related formsdirt·i·ly, adverbdirt·i·ness, noun

Synonym study

1. 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.

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

Examples from the Web for dirty

She is the author of Dirty Entanglements: Corruption, Crime and Terrorism (Cambridge University Press).
ISIS, Boko Haram, and the Growing Role of Human Trafficking in 21st Century Terrorism|Louise I. Shelley|December 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I was so relieved, until I thought about my dirty pantyhose hanging on the shower at home.
My Love Letter to the Stetson|Mark McKinnon|December 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
If only Sulzberger had managed to keep a zipped upper lip while leaving the dirty work to anonymous underlings.
The Bloodiest Media Coups of 2014|Lloyd Grove|December 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Not one Argentine Jesuit lost his life during the dirty war, and he managed to save dozens of people.
How Pope Francis Became the World’s BFF|Jason Berry|December 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST

As Americans, we still have a right to air both our dirty laundry and our R-Rated films.
Should the U.S. Really Pay a Kim’s Ransom?|Kevin Bleyer|December 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
You must remember, Sir Thomas, that I am only a dirty little servant.
The City in the Clouds|C. Ranger Gull
She doesn't know my Fauchery: a dirty gent he is, too, palling up with women like that so as to get on in the world.
Nana, The Miller's Daughter, Captain Burle, Death of Olivier Becaille|Emile Zola
I fear it will be long ere you see your good gold in the stead of your dirty paper, even though I gave you an order on the tolls.
The Caged Lion|Charlotte M. Yonge
Mackenzie sent him into a confounded trap to save his own dirty skin.
Plays: Lady Frederick, The Explorer, A Man of Honor|William Somerset Maugham
The man opened a book of printed forms, dipped a pen into a dirty ink-stand, and wrote the date.
The Messenger|Elizabeth Robins

British Dictionary definitions for dirty

dirty

/ (ˈdɜːtɪ) /

adjective dirtier or dirtiest

covered or marked with dirt; filthy

obscene; salaciousdirty books
sexually clandestinea dirty weekend

causing one to become grimya dirty job

(of a colour) not clear and bright; impure

unfair; dishonest; unscrupulous; unsporting

mean; nastya dirty cheat

scandalous; unkinda dirty rumour

revealing dislike or angera 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 contaminationCompare clean (def. 5)

be dirty on Australian slang to be offended by or be hostile towards

dirty dog a despicable person

dirty linen informal intimate secrets, esp those that might give rise to gossip

dirty pool slang, mainly US, Canadian and Australian dishonest behaviour

dirty word

an obscene word
something that is regarded with disapprovalfederalism is a dirty word

dirty work unpleasant or illicit activity

do the dirty on British informal to behave meanly or unkindly towards

verb dirties, dirtying or dirtied

to make or become dirty; stain; soil

Derived Formsdirtily, adverbdirtiness, noun

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 dirty (1 of 2)

dirty

adj.

c.1500, from dirt + -y (2). Earlier dritty (late 14c.). Meaning "smutty, morally unclean" is from 1590s. Of colors, from 1690s. Dirty linen "personal or familial secrets" is first recorded 1860s. Dirty work in the figurative sense is from 1764; dirty trick is from 1670s. The dirty look someone gives you is from 1928; dirty old man "superannuated lecher" is from 1932. Related: dirtiness.

Word Origin and History for dirty (1 of 2)

dirty

v.

1590s, from dirty (adj.). Related: Dirtied; dirtying.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

Idioms and Phrases with dirty

dirty

In addition to the idioms beginning with dirty

dirty joke
dirty look, give a
dirty one's hands
dirty tricks
dirty work

also see:

down and dirty
wash one's dirty linen in public

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.