grotty
Americanadjective
adjective
-
unpleasant, nasty, or unattractive
-
of poor quality or in bad condition; unsatisfactory or useless
Etymology
Origin of grotty
Perhaps grot(esque) + -y 1, though senses do not correspond; apparently not akin to grody
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:
It was grotty and a foul damp smell hit me in the face and did not go when I opened the windows.
From BBC ● Apr. 1, 2025
What began as a shaggily low-stakes heist thriller before morphing into a grotty prison movie has now become an idyllic, sun-drenched landscape epic.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2023
Cozily grotty dive bars, sleek cafes, unique eateries like the Hawaiian lunch counter Poi Dog, and lovingly curated independent shops play a huge part in urban life.
From Slate ● Feb. 22, 2022
An American freelance reporter in his early 40s, he was bunking at a grotty guesthouse in this town in southern Turkey on the border with Syria.
From New York Times ● Feb. 16, 2021
The other girls at Maidsend all lay snoring or knitting or doing their nails when the rain was tipping it down in such grotty visibility no one could fly.
From "Code Name Verity" by Elizabeth Wein
We meet in the Banana Leaf, an Indian restaurant at the grottier end of Tooting in south London: Maya chose it because it's round the corner from her mum, Kala.
From The Guardian ● Jun. 12, 2010
A pity, because the debut by fellow Brightonians the Wytches explores psych-rock’s grottiest corners.
From The Guardian ● Sep. 9, 2014
Casey lives in London's grottiest tower block, so she's grown up with a tough streak, but her father being arrested has just made her fall apart.
From The Guardian ● May 9, 2013
The original MeatWagon site was in the grottiest, most backward industrial estate in Peckham.
From The Guardian ● Jul. 14, 2012
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.
