grubby

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grub·by

(grŭb′ē)

adj. grub·bi·er, grub·bi·est

1. Dirty; grimy: grubby old work clothes. See Synonyms at dirty.

2. Infested with grubs.

3. Contemptible; despicable: has a grubby way of treating others.

grub′bi·ly adv.

grub′bi·ness n.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

grubby

(ˈɡrʌbɪ)

adj, -bier or -biest

1. dirty; slovenly

2. mean; beggarly

3. (Zoology) infested with grubs

ˈgrubbily adv

ˈgrubbiness n

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

grub•by

(ˈgrʌb i)

adj. -bi•er, -bi•est.

1. dirty; slovenly.

2. infested with grubs.

3. contemptible; ignoble: grubby tricks.

[1605–15]

grub′bi•ly, adv.

grub′bi•ness, n.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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Noun	1.	grubby - small sculpin of the coast of New England Myxocephalus aenaeus sculpin - any of numerous spiny large-headed usually scaleless scorpaenoid fishes with broad mouths genus Myxocephalus, Myxocephalus - grubby
Adj.	1.	grubby - infested with grubs
	2.	grubby - thickly covered with ingrained dirt or soot; "a miner's begrimed face"; "dingy linen"; "grimy hands"; "grubby little fingers"; "a grungy kitchen" begrimed, dingy, grimy, grungy, raunchy dirty, soiled, unclean - soiled or likely to soil with dirt or grime; "dirty unswept sidewalks"; "a child in dirty overalls"; "dirty slums"; "piles of dirty dishes"; "put his dirty feet on the clean sheet"; "wore an unclean shirt"; "mining is a dirty job"; "Cinderella did the dirty work while her sisters preened themselves"

grubby

adjective dirty, soiled, filthy, squalid, messy, shabby, seedy, scruffy, sordid, untidy, grimy, unwashed, unkempt, mucky, smutty, grungy (slang, chiefly U.S. & Canad.), slovenly, manky (Scot. dialect), scuzzy (slang), skanky (slang), scungy (Austral. & N.Z.), frowzy, besmeared His white coat was grubby and stained.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

grubby

adjective

Covered or stained with or as if with dirt or other impurities:

black, dirty, filthy, grimy, smutty, soiled, unclean, uncleanly.

Translations

قذر، وسِخ

umouněný

snavset

verwahrlost

crasseux

skítugur, subbulegur

sporco sudicio

išsiterliojęsnevalyvasnevalyvumas

netīrs

groezelig smerig vuil wormstekig

ustelt

zafúľaný

umazan

kirli pis

肮脏的邋遢的

grubby

[ˈgrʌbɪ] ADJ (grubbier (compar) (grubbiest (superl))) (= dirty) → mugriento, sucio, mugroso (LAm)

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

grubby

[ˈgrʌbi] adj

(= dirty) [clothes, hands, face] → crasseux/euse

[business, activity] → pas très net(te)

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

grubby

adj (+er)

(= dirty) → dreckig; person, clothes, house → schmuddelig (inf)

(fig: = sordid) business, corruption, politics → schmutzig; aspect → zwielichtig

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

grubby

[ˈgrʌbɪ] adj (-ier (comp) (-iest (superl))) → sudicio/a, sporco/a

grubby

(ˈgrabi) adjective

dirty. a grubby little boy.

ˈgrubbiness noun

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References in classic literature ?

The tears that flowed down his grubby cheeks were real tears.

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And out of the middle of the earth, as it seemed to us, rose the pie - very much mixed up and damaged; and, after it, scrambled Harris - tumbled, grubby, and wet.

View in context

A grubby boy, probably with a squint, would almost certainly get on your nerves.

View in context

I feel more than a little grubby, and we can have our breakfast in the cooling gallery.

View in context

Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell branded Sajid Javid's spending review, "grubby electioneering" and condemned the "pathetic sums" offered to Whitehall departments on their knees after almost a decade of austerity.

Javid cash boost 'an insult to intelligence'

On Gear Paddy creature Chris grubby Chris is just grubby.

NATURE LOVER... Michaela It bowled me over to get Top Gear call; Former England cricketer Freddie tells us what it's really like hosting the new series of car show with comedian Paddy McGuinness and motoring journalist Chris Harris

TORY councillors in Walsall have accused a UKIP rival of seeking "grubby votes" with comments in an election leaflet saying police should prioritise "real crimes" over social media hate speech.

Tories condemn UKIP for seeking 'grubby votes' after 'offensive' leaflet

Just down a soi off bustling Nimmanhaemin is this nerdy little cafe set in a high-ceilinged glass building filled with displays of a bewildering number of cartoon figures from Marvel characters to Japanese anime (all locked up tight to keep our grubby fingers off them).

Soi Searching

When Newcastle City Council's environmental health team inspected Koh-I-Noor on the Bigg Market in January, they found the kitchens were "grubby" and caked in mould, while the toilets were "smelly".

Curry house found to be 'filthy'

When Newcastle City Council's environmental health team inspected Koh-I-Noor in the Cloth Market in January, they found the kitchens were "grubby" and caked in mould, while the toilets were "smelly".

Hygiene worries over curry house; filthy taps and grubby fridges are among list of failings

Rachelle Hughes, 39, claims she arrived with three of her children to find a trashed chalet full of grubby dishes, sopping wet beach towels and half-eaten bolognese.

Wrexham mum in defiant stand-off

Like an immature and grubby urchin that needs its mother to constantly wipe its face (...