Meaning & use
dirty
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Meanings
adjectivecomparable
Covered with mud, dust, or other marks and not clean.
Grammar: Used before a noun or after be: dirty hands, the floor is dirty.
Patterns
- get dirty
- be dirty with something
The children came home with dirty knees.
He put his dirty plates in the sink.
The windows were too dirty to see through.
adjectivebefore a nouninformal
Unfair, dishonest, or morally unpleasant, as with tricks, money, or deals.
Grammar: Mostly before a noun: a dirty trick, dirty money.
Patterns
- a dirty trick
- play dirty
Smashing the rival's equipment was a dirty trick.
The team was accused of playing dirty in the final.
The report exposed a network of dirty money.
adjectivebefore a nouninformal
Rude or sexually suggestive, so that some people find it offensive.
Grammar: Used for jokes, words, and talk: a dirty joke.
Patterns
- a dirty joke
- a dirty word
Grandpa told a dirty joke at the dinner table.
The comedian was banned for using dirty language.
She said it was not a dirty word, just an impolite one.
verbtransitive
To make something unclean by getting dirt on it.
Grammar: Takes an object: dirty your shoes. The result is dirtied.
Patterns
- dirty something
He did not want to dirty his new shirt.
Try not to dirty the clean floor.
The dog dirtied the sofa with muddy paws.
Word forms
| comparative | dirtier |
|---|---|
| superlative | dirtiest |
| third person singular | dirties |
| past tense | dirtied |
| past participle | dirtied |
| -ing form | dirtying |
Common combinations
- dirty laundry
- She piled the dirty laundry beside the machine.
- get your hands dirty
- A good manager is willing to get their hands dirty.
- dirty trick
- Hiding the keys was a dirty trick.
- dirty look
- The driver gave me a dirty look.
- play dirty
- The opposing team started playing dirty.
- dirty work
- He left the dirty work to his assistants.
Synonyms and how they differ
- filthy
- Filthy is much stronger than dirty, meaning disgustingly dirty.
- grubby
- Grubby suggests mild, everyday dirt on hands, clothes, or small objects.
- soiled
- Soiled is more formal and often describes cloth or items that have been stained.
- unfair
- Unfair covers the second sense but lacks the moral disgust that dirty carries.
Opposites
Word family
- dirt noun
- soil, dust, or any unclean matter
- dirtiness noun
- the state of being dirty
- dirtily adverb
- in an unfair or unclean way
- dirty-minded adjective
- fond of rude thoughts
Commonly confused: dirty or dusty?
dirty vs dusty
Dusty means covered in fine dust, while dirty is the general word for any kind of uncleanliness.
Practice
Opponents said the campaign used ___ tricks to make the candidate look bad.
Choose one answer.
Dirty tricks are dishonest and unfair. Dusty, damp, and dull describe physical or other qualities that do not fit tricks.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “dirty”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.