grubby
(Slang)
[adjective]
Synonyms: dirty, filthy, grimy, messy, mucky, scruffy, seedy, shabby, sordid, squalid, unwashed

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Antonyms: immaculate

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English Thesaurus: dirty, filthy, muddy, dusty, greasy, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

grub‧by /ˈɡrʌbi/ adjective
[Date: 1600-1700; Origin: ⇒ grub¹; because places full of grubs are dirty]

1. fairly dirty:
a grubby handkerchief
a gang of grubby kids

2. grubby behaviour or activity is morally unpleasant:
the grubby details of his financial dealings

3. grubby hands/paws/mitts informal used to talk about someone touching something or becoming involved in it when you do not want them to:
Keep your grubby paws to yourself!
I bet he can’t wait to get his grubby hands on my money!
—grubbiness noun [uncountable]

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

dirty not clean:
His clothes were untidy and he had dirty hands.
filthy very dirty:
Each year filthy water causes millions of cases of illness.
muddy covered with mud:
It had been raining hard and the path was muddy.
dusty covered with dust:
the dusty shelves in the attic
greasy covered with oil or grease:
Greasy food is bad for your health.
grubby (also mucky British English) informal fairly dirty and needing to be cleaned or washed:
He was wearing a grubby white T-shirt.
mucky fingers
grimy covered with thick dirt or dirt that has been there a long time:
I couldn’t see much out of the grimy windows of the train.
dingy /ˈdɪndʒi/ looking dark, dirty, and unpleasant. Used about rooms, houses, and buildings:
We worked in a dingy little office behind the station.
polluted used about land, water, or air that has been made dirty:
85% of city dwellers breathe heavily polluted air.
contaminated made dirty by a dangerous substance or bacteria:
The virus is mainly spread through contaminated food.
squalid /ˈskwɒləd, ˈskwɒlɪd $ ˈskwɑː-/ formal extremely dirty and unpleasant. Used about the place or conditions in which someone lives:
People are living in squalid conditions, with little water and no sanitation.
unhygienic /ʌnhaɪˈdʒiːnɪk◂ $ -ˈdʒe-, -ˈdʒiː-/ formal used about dirty conditions that are likely to cause disease, especially conditions in kitchens, restaurants, and hospitals:
The food was prepared under unhygienic conditions.
unsanitary (also insanitary British English) formal used about dirty conditions that are likely to cause disease, especially because there is not a good system for getting rid of waste:
People’s health is being threatened by overcrowded and insanitary homes.
They work for long hours in unsanitary conditions.
soiled formal made dirty, especially by waste from your body:
Soiled nappies should be changed as quickly as possible.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲