nitty

[ nit-ee ]

adjective

, nit·ti·er, nit·ti·est.

1. full of nits. nit.

nitty

¹

/ ˈnɪtɪ /

adjective

1. infested with nits

nitty

²

/ ˈnɪtɪ /

adjective

1. informal.
   foolish; stupid

Word History and Origins

Origin of nitty¹

First recorded in 1560–70; nit ¹ + -y ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of nitty¹

C20: from nitwit

Example Sentences

It can do the nitty-gritty physical steps about four to 10 times as fast as a person can, and its precision helps improve reproducibility.

From MIT Technology Review

For a nitty-gritty explanation of how helicopters and airplanes fly, check out the lift equation.

From Outside Online

That this financial nitty-gritty is what excited Swift most might seem at odds with her image as a singer-songwriter who performs on sets that look like a cottage in a fairy-tale forest.

From Time

Some scientists have taken on the nitty-gritty task of building backprop-like models based on the known properties of individual neurons.

From Quanta Magazine

In May 2020, the agency released a 10-year plan to dig into the nitty-gritty of nutrition, tackling the “what, when, why, and how to eat” to optimize health and reduce chronic health plagues such as diabetes, obesity, and heart disease.

From Singularity Hub 

The dramatic popularization of a phrase like “nitty-gritty” demonstrates that language is always changing across social contexts.

From The Daily Beast

The Manchester-based activist was born in Kinshasa but raised on the “nitty, gritty streets of London town.”

From The Daily Beast

In terms of the nitty-gritty of writing, George brings the skill set of being able to get it out on paper pretty quickly.

From The Daily Beast

It gives a pleasant sense of transgression, of really being in the nitty-gritty.

From The Daily Beast

Obviously, Obama is not going to get into the nitty gritty of implementation.

From The Daily Beast

He has need o' a clean pow that ca's his neighbour nitty now.

From Project Gutenberg