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Synonyms

grungy

American  
[gruhn-jee] / ˈgrʌn dʒi /

adjective

Slang.
grungier, grungiest

  1. ugly, run-down, or dilapidated.

    a grungy, abandoned mill town.

  2. dirty; filthy.

    a pair of grungy sneakers.
grungy British  
/ ˈɡrʌndʒɪ /

adjective

  1. squalid or seedy

  2. (of pop music) characterized by a loud fuzzy guitar sound

"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

Other Word Forms

  • grunginess noun

Etymology

Origin of grungy

An Americanism dating back to 1965–70; grunge + -y 1

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.

Their collection featured grungy lace looks and leather-heavy co-ords, leaning on a colour palette that was moody and dark.

From BBC • Feb. 20, 2026

“Peter Hujar’s Day” and “Late Fame”: Two films I saw at this year’s festival concerned the grungy creative mystique of New York in the 1970s.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 15, 2025

Over grungy guitars and a slapping drum beat, Taylor taunts them with a touch of reverse psychology.

From BBC • Oct. 3, 2025

There was this beautiful, really fun, cheap, grungy rehearsal studio in Culver City called Exposition Studios.

From Los Angeles Times • May 30, 2025

It wouldn’t have been a huge shock to learn that Shelly had purposely dumped the grungy aquarium on Lice Peeking, but I took her word that it was an accident.

From "Flush" by Carl Hiaasen

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.