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grotty

[ grot-ee ]
/ ˈgrɒt i /
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adjective, grot·ti·er, grot·ti·est. Slang.

seedy; wretched; dirty.

RELATED WORDS

second-rate, miserable, rotten, shabby, cheap, contemptible, crappy, inferior, pathetic, poor, useless, worthless, third-rate

Nearby words

  1. grotian,
  2. grotius,
  3. grotius, hugo,
  4. groton,
  5. grotto,
  6. grouch,
  7. grouchy,
  8. grouchy, emmanuel, marquis de,
  9. grough,
  10. ground

Origin of grotty

perhaps grot(esque) + -y1, though senses do not correspond; apparently not akin to grody
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for grotty

British Dictionary definitions for grotty

grotty

/ (ˈɡrɒtɪ) /

adjective -tier or -tiest British slang

unpleasant, nasty, or unattractive
of poor quality or in bad condition; unsatisfactory or useless

Word Origin for grotty

C20: from grotesque
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 grotty

grotty

n.

slang shortening of grotesque, it had a brief vogue 1964 as part of the argot popularized by The Beatles in "A Hard Day's Night." It unconsciously echoes Middle English groti "muddy, slimy," from Old English grotig "earthy," from grot "particle."

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper