dirty
English meaning: Dirty
Definition
Dirty means covered with dirt or not clean.
Example
“His shoes were dirty after the walk.”
Another example: “He gave me a dirty look when I jumped the queue.”
Usage — When, Where & How
A common adjective meaning not clean ('dirty hands', 'dirty dishes'). Informally it can mean unfair ('a dirty trick') or indecent ('a dirty joke'). Everyday register; the figurative senses can be mildly vulgar.
Etymology & Origin
English — Origin & History
From 'dirt', from Old Norse 'drit', plus '-y'.
Synonyms
- filthy
- grimy
- unclean
- soiled
- salacious
- obscene
- sordid
- scabrous
- blue
- lewd
- profane
- black
Antonyms / Opposites
- clean
- spotless
Related Words
Common Collocations
- dirty dishes
- dirty laundry
- get dirty
- dirty trick
- dirty look
Word Forms
dirty (adj); dirtier; dirtiest; dirty (v); dirt (n)
Word Tools
Literary Heritage
“To thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man.”
/To thine own self be true/
“Be honest with yourself — and as naturally as night follows day, you will be unable to be false to others.”
“I'm nobody! Who are you? Are you nobody, too?”
/I'm nobody! Who are you?/
“I am nobody — and that quiet anonymity is more honest than the noise of public fame.”
Images
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Language information
- Language
- English
- English
- Script
- Latin
- Family
- Indo-European
- Speakers
- 1.5B