gritty
Americanadjective
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consisting of, containing, or resembling grit; sandy.
-
resolute and courageous; plucky.
adjective
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courageous; hardy; resolute
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of, like, or containing grit
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
Etymology
Origin of gritty
Explanation
Gritty things have a rough texture that makes them feel like they're coated with sand. After a day at the beach, you might come home with gritty arms and legs. A baking project involving corn meal might result in a gritty counter and a gritty kitchen floor, and one shake of your dirty dog will leave you with a gritty couch. Grit is a tiny particle of sand or stone, and gritty means "covered in grit." A second meaning of gritty is "showing bravery and spirit." When you stick with something no matter how scary or difficult it is, that's gritty.
Vocabulary lists containing gritty
Unit 4: Powerful Openings
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Baseball in April
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"Earthquake"
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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.
Harriet Dart came close to completing a gritty comeback win but ultimately fell 6-3 3-6 6-4 to former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko.
From BBC • Jun. 29, 2026
These movies were gritty and often absurd, sometimes going as far as to rubberneck at a tragedy to convey the immediacy of the moral at hand.
From Salon • Jun. 22, 2026
After graduating, he took a studio in London’s Notting Hill, then a gritty contrast with the trendy neighborhood it has become.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 12, 2026
Today's Knicks have won the hearts of fans with a gritty style that saw them reach the Eastern Conference finals last season and build a 13-game winning streak in the current playoffs.
From Barron's • Jun. 8, 2026
His lip quivers and his voice gets gritty.
From "Al Capone Does My Shirts" by Gennifer Choldenko
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.
