Dirty — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

adjective adverb verb /ˈdər-tē/

Meaning & Definition of Dirty

Dirty (adjective)

  1. not clean or pure
  2. likely to befoul or defile with a soiling substance (such as mud, dust, or grime)
  3. contaminated with infecting organisms

Dirty (adverb)

  1. in a dirty manner
  2. deceptively, underhandedly
  3. indecently

Dirty (verb)

  1. to soil with a substance (such as mud or grime), to make dirty
  2. to stain with dishonor, sully
  3. to debase by distorting the real nature of

Dirty (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. not clean

    "after working in the factory all day, his clothes are very dirty"

    similar: bedraggled, befouled, begrimed, bemired, besmirched, black, blackened, cruddy, dingy, draggled, dusty, filthy, foul, grimy, grotty (chiefly British), grubby, grungy, mucky, muddy, nasty, smudged, smutty, soiled, sordid, stained, sullied, unclean, uncleanly
    related: contaminated, defiled, germy, impure, polluted, tainted, insanitary, uncleaned, unsanitary, unsterile, unsterilized, unwashed, greasy, gunky, chaotic, cluttered, confused, disarranged, disarrayed, disheveled, disordered, jumbled, littered, messed, messy, muddled, mussed, mussy, rumpled, scruffy, sloppy, slovenly, unkempt, untidy, raunchy, scuzzy (slang), shabby, skanky (slang), sleazy, squalid, collied (chiefly British dialect), crocked (dialect), fuliginous, sooty
    opposite: clean, cleanly, immaculate, spick-and-span, spotless, stainless, ultraclean, unsoiled, unstained, unsullied
    near: clear, limpid, pure, cleaned, cleansed, combed, groomed, neat, ordered, orderly, tidy, bleached, purified, whitened, bright, flawless, perfect, shiny, sparkling, unspotted, untouched, taintless, unblemished, undefiled, unpolluted, untainted, virgin, wholesome

  2. depicting or referring to sexual matters in a way that is unacceptable in polite society

    "some radio stations refused to play the song because of the dirty lyrics"

    similar: bawdy, blue, coarse, crude, filthy, foul, gross, gutter, impure, indecent, lascivious, lewd, locker-room, nasty, obscene, pornographic, porny, profane, raunchy, ribald, smutty, stag, trashy, unprintable, vulgar, wanton, X-rated
    related: broad, coarse-grained, gamy, off, off-color, racy, risqué, salacious, salty, suggestive, barnyard, earthy, scatological, immodest, indecorous, indelicate, low, unbecoming, depraved, kinky, louche, naughty, perverse, perverted, wicked, exceptionable, objectionable, unacceptable, undesirable, unwanted, unwelcome, abhorrent, debasing, disgusting, loathsome, offensive, repellent, repugnant, repulsive, revolting, distasteful, obnoxious, unpleasant, blamable, blameworthy, censurable, reprehensible, atrocious, infamous, abusive, scurrilous, hard-core, soft, soft-core
    opposite: clean, decent, G-rated, nonobscene, wholesome
    near: priggish, prim, prudish, puritanical, staid, straitlaced, Victorian, correct, decorous, genteel, nice, polite, proper, respectable, seemly, innocuous, inoffensive, acceptable, agreeable, desirable, pleasant, pleasing, welcome, appropriate, becoming, fit, meet, suitable, immaculate, perfect, pure, spotless, virginal, approved, endorsed, sanctioned

  3. marked by wet and windy conditions

    "they were unknowingly sailing into dirty weather"

    similar: bleak, foul, inclement, nasty, raw, rough, squally, stormy, tempestuous, turbulent
    related: blowy, blustering, blustery, breezy, gusty, windblown, windswept, cloudy, overcast, sunless, rainy, snowy, foggy, hazy, misty, murky, soupy
    opposite: bright, clear, clement, cloudless, fair, sunny, sunshiny, unclouded
    near: rainless, balmy, calm, halcyon, peaceful, placid, pleasant, serene

  4. not being in accordance with the rules or standards of what is fair in sport

    "the school is known for the dirty football it plays"

    similar: foul, illegal, nasty, unfair, unsportsmanlike, below the belt
    related: dishonorable, shabby, shameful, ignoble, low, mean, ungentlemanly, immoral, rotten, unchivalrous, unethical, unjust, unprincipled, unrighteous, unscrupulous
    opposite: clean, fair, legal, sportsmanlike, sportsmanly
    near: just, law-abiding, ethical, moral, principled, righteous, scrupulous, honorable, irreproachable, unimpeachable

  5. not following or in accordance with standards of honor and decency

    "accused the other campaign of playing dirty tricks"

    similar: base, contemptible, currish, despicable, detestable, dishonorable, execrable, ignoble, ignominious, low, low-down, low-minded, mean, nasty, paltry, snide, sordid, vile, wretched
    related: bad, evil, foul, immoral, iniquitous, miscreant, wicked, wrong, cruel, vicious, blamable, blameworthy, censurable, reprehensible, corrupt, debased, debauched, degenerate, depraved, dissolute, perverted, atrocious, villainous, unethical, unprincipled, unscrupulous, discreditable, disgraceful, disreputable, shameful, unworthy
    opposite: high, high-minded, honorable, lofty, noble, straight, upright, venerable, virtuous
    near: ethical, honest, just, principled, righteous, right-minded, scrupulous, commendable, excellent, exemplary, good, moral, right, decent, proper, reputable, respectable, seemly, blameless, guiltless, incorruptible, irreproachable, uncorrupted, unerring

  6. arousing or deserving of one's loathing and disgust

    "laying off longtime employees was a dirty way for the company to reduce labor costs and save money"

    similar: cheap, contemptible, cruddy, deplorable, despicable, grubby, lame, lousy, mean, nasty, paltry, pitiable, pitiful, ratty, scabby, scummy, scurvy, sneaking, sorry, wretched
    related: abhorrent, abominable, condemnable, detestable, execrable, hateful, loathsome, odious, disgusting, reptilian, repugnant, repulsive, revolting, revulsive, discreditable, disgraceful, dishonorable, disreputable, ignominious, shameful, base, ignoble, low, shabby, sordid, squalid, vile, blamable, censurable, reprehensible, reproachable, cowardly, craven, dastardly, unethical, unprincipled, unscrupulous
    opposite: admirable, commendable, creditable, laudable, meritorious, praiseworthy
    near: high-minded, honest, honorable, noble, principled, redoubtable, reputable, right-minded, scrupulous, upright, ethical, good, moral, right, righteous, virtuous

  7. open to improper influence and especially bribery

    "a movie about a dirty cop paid to protect a mafioso"

    similar: bribable, corruptible, purchasable, venal
    related: temptable, hack, mercenary, crooked, cutthroat, dishonest, Machiavellian, unethical, unmoral, unprincipled, unscrupulous, corrupt, corrupted, debased, debauched, defiled, degenerate, degraded, demoralized, depraved, dissipated, dissolute, perverse, perverted, reprobate, sleazy, vitiated, warped, bad, evil, immoral, iniquitous, nefarious, sinful, vicious, wicked
    opposite: incorruptible
    near: ethical, honest, principled, scrupulous, good, moral, righteous, upright, virtuous

Dirty (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to make dirty

    "she dirtied her new sneakers when she splashed in the puddle"

    similar: befoul, begrime, bemire, besmirch, blacken, daub, distain (archaic), foul, gaum (dialect), grime, mire, muck, muddy, smirch, smudge, soil, stain, sully
    related: contaminate, defile, pollute, taint, discolor, confuse, disarrange, disarray, dishevel, disorder, draggle, jumble, mess, muddle, colly (chiefly British dialect), crock (dialect)
    opposite: clean, cleanse
    near: decontaminate, purge, purify, disinfect, sanitize, brush, dry-clean, dust, launder, mop, rinse, scour, scrub, sweep, wash, wipe, brighten, deodorize, freshen, renew, spruce (up), straighten (up), tidy (up)

Dirty (adverb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. as in illegally

    similar: illegally, ignobly, immorally, underhandedly, unethically, dishonorably
    opposite: clean, cleanly, fair, fairly, legally, ethically, high-mindedly, morally, nobly, honorably

Related Entry: Dirty word (noun)

Dirty word is a different word from Dirty. The synonyms below are for dirty word, not for dirty.

  1. a disrespectful or indecent word or expression

    "I'm afraid I won't be much help on the trip—the only Spanish I know is a handful of dirty words"

    similar: curse, cuss, cussword, expletive, four-letter word, obscenity, profanity, swear, swearword, vulgarism
    related: bawdry, language, scurrility, execration, imprecation, malediction, epithet, name, oath

Related Entry: Dirty laundry (noun)

Dirty laundry is a different word from Dirty. The synonyms below are for dirty laundry, not for dirty.

  1. as in dirty linen

    similar: dirty linen, dirt, gossip, scuttlebutt, talebearing, talk, tattle, defamation, libel, slander, canard, story, tale, whisper, hearsay, fable, fabrication, fairy tale, falsehood, falsity, fib, lie, mendacity, prevarication, untruth, whopper

Related Entry: Dirty linen (noun)

Dirty linen is a different word from Dirty. The synonyms below are for dirty linen, not for dirty.

  1. as in dirty laundry

    similar: dirty laundry, dirt, gossip, scuttlebutt, talebearing, talk, tattle, defamation, libel, slander, canard, story, tale, whisper, hearsay, fable, fabrication, fairy tale, falsehood, falsity, fib, lie, mendacity, prevarication, untruth, whopper

Related Entry: Dirty pool (noun)

Dirty pool is a different word from Dirty. The synonyms below are for dirty pool, not for dirty.

  1. as in dirty tricks

    similar: dirty tricks, fakery, humbuggery, imposture, quackery, design, plotting, scheming, secrecy, stealth, crookedness, crookery, deceit, deceitfulness, deception, deceptiveness, dishonesty, dissimulation, double-dealing, dupery, duplicity, guile, guilefulness, hypocrisy, insincerity, artfulness, caginess, craftiness, cunning, deviousness, foxiness, oiliness, shadiness, sharpness, shiftiness, shrewdness, slickness, slipperiness, slyness, sneakiness, treachery, underhandedness, wiliness, artifice, chicane, chicanery, gamesmanship, hanky-panky, jiggery-pokery, jugglery, legerdemain, skulduggery, subterfuge, trickery, wile
    opposite: artlessness, forthrightness, guilelessness, ingenuousness, sincerity, candidness, candor, directness, openness, plainness, plainspokenness

Related Entry: Dirty tricks (plural noun)

Dirty tricks is a different word from Dirty. The synonyms below are for dirty tricks, not for dirty.

  1. as in dirty pool

    similar: dirty pool, fakery, humbuggery, imposture, quackery, design, plotting, scheming, secrecy, stealth, crookedness, crookery, deceit, deceitfulness, deception, deceptiveness, dishonesty, dissimulation, double-dealing, dupery, duplicity, guile, guilefulness, hypocrisy, insincerity, artfulness, caginess, craftiness, cunning, deviousness, foxiness, oiliness, shadiness, sharpness, shiftiness, shrewdness, slickness, slipperiness, slyness, sneakiness, treachery, underhandedness, wiliness, artifice, chicane, chicanery, gamesmanship, hanky-panky, jiggery-pokery, jugglery, legerdemain, skulduggery, subterfuge, trickery, wile
    opposite: artlessness, forthrightness, guilelessness, ingenuousness, sincerity, candidness, candor, directness, openness, plainness, plainspokenness

Related Entry: Dirty words (noun)

Dirty words is a different word from Dirty. The synonyms below are for dirty words, not for dirty.

  1. a disrespectful or indecent word or expression

    "I'm afraid I won't be much help on the trip—the only Spanish I know is a handful of dirty words"

    similar: curses, cusses, cusswords, expletives, four-letter words, obscenities, profanities, swears, swearwords, vulgarisms
    related: bawdries, languages, scurrilities, execrations, imprecations, maledictions, epithets, names, oaths

Related Entry: Down and dirty (adjective)

Down and dirty is a different word from Dirty. The synonyms below are for down and dirty, not for dirty.

  1. made or done without previous thought or preparation

    "hoisting aloft the down and dirty sign that we had just made, we joined the protest"

    similar: ad hoc, ad-lib, extemporaneous, extemporary, extempore, impromptu, improvisational, improvised, off-the-cuff, offhand, offhanded, snap, spur-of-the-moment, unconsidered, unplanned, unpremeditated, unprepared, unrehearsed, unstudied
    related: unscripted, automatic, impulsive, instinctive, involuntary, spontaneous, casual, cursive, informal, unauthorized, half-baked, half-cocked, ill-advised
    opposite: considered, planned, premeditated, premeditative, prepared, rehearsed
    near: deliberate, intended, intentional

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Dirty

The most common words with a similar meaning to Dirty:

Chiefly British: grotty
Archaic: distain
Dialect: gaum
bedraggled, befouled, begrimed, bemired, besmirched, black, blackened, cruddy, dingy, draggled, dusty, filthy, foul, grimy, grubby, grungy, mucky, muddy, nasty, smudged, smutty, soiled, sordid, stained, sullied, unclean, uncleanly, bawdy, blue, coarse, crude, gross, gutter, impure, indecent, lascivious, lewd, locker-room, obscene, pornographic

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Dirty

Words with the opposite meaning of Dirty:

clean, cleanly, immaculate, spick-and-span, spotless, stainless, ultraclean, unsoiled, unstained, unsullied, decent, G-rated, nonobscene, wholesome, bright, clear, clement, cloudless, fair, sunny, sunshiny, unclouded, legal, sportsmanlike, sportsmanly, high, high-minded, honorable, lofty, noble

Related Words for Dirty

contaminated, defiled, germy, polluted, tainted, insanitary, uncleaned, unsanitary, unsterile, unsterilized, unwashed, greasy, gunky, chaotic, cluttered, confused, disarranged, disarrayed, disheveled, disordered, jumbled, littered, messed, messy, muddled, mussed, mussy, rumpled, scruffy, sloppy

Near Antonyms of Dirty

limpid, pure, cleaned, cleansed, combed, groomed, neat, ordered, orderly, tidy, bleached, purified, whitened, flawless, perfect, shiny, sparkling, unspotted, untouched, taintless, unblemished, undefiled, unpolluted, untainted, virgin, priggish, prim, prudish, puritanical, staid

Word Forms of Dirty

Inflections: dirtier, dirtiest, dirtied, dirtying

Derived words: dirtily (adverb), dirtiness (noun)

Origin & Etymology of Dirty

First known use: 15th century

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Dirty

Words & Phrases Containing Dirty

dirty bomb, dirty laundry, dirty old man, dirty pool, dirty rice, dirty tricks, dirty word

Frequently Asked Questions about Dirty

What does "Dirty" mean?

"Dirty" means not clean or pure. As an an adjective, an adverb and a verb, it is defined as: not clean or pure. It has 9 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Dirty"?

Other words for "Dirty" include bedraggled, befouled, begrimed, bemired, besmirched, black, blackened and cruddy. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Dirty" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Dirty"?

There are 300 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Dirty". Common alternatives include bedraggled, befouled, begrimed, bemired, besmirched, black, blackened, cruddy, dingy and draggled.

What is the opposite of "Dirty"?

Antonyms of "Dirty" include clean, cleanly, immaculate, spick-and-span, spotless, stainless, ultraclean and unsoiled. Near antonyms include limpid, pure, cleaned and cleansed.

How do you use "Dirty" in a sentence?

Examples of "Dirty" in a sentence: "after working in the factory all day, his clothes are very dirty"; "some radio stations refused to play the song because of the dirty lyrics"; "they were unknowingly sailing into dirty weather".

Is "Dirty" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Dirty" can be used as an adjective, an adverb and a verb, depending on the context.

Is "Dirty" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As an A1-level word, "Dirty" is typical of Cambridge A1 Movers (Young Learners), TOEIC Listening & Reading 120+.

How do you pronounce "Dirty"?

"Dirty" is pronounced /ˈdər-tē/.