dirty

SayDUR-tee/ˈdɝti//ˈdɜːti/

Adjectivedirtier, dirtiest

Verbdirties, dirtying, dirtied

20 meanings of dirty

Practice

1
not cleanadjective
Covered with or containing dirt, grime, or other unpleasant matter.
The mechanic's overalls were dirty with grease by midday.
She refused to drink from the dirty glass on the counter.
UsageOften with get: get dirty, get your hands dirty. Forms: dirtier, dirtiest.
Similarfilthy, grubby, unclean, soiled, foul
Oppositeclean
Note
Its natural partner is clean, and George Bernard Shaw plays the two against each other in his apology for Mrs. Warren's Profession (1902): many people, he says, are more comfortable dirty than clean.
Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 2 facts
George Bernard Shaw wrote the apology for Mrs. Warren's Profession, dated 1902. gutenberg.org
The paraphrase accurately represents Shaw's own statement in the apology. gutenberg.org
2
sexualadjective
Obscene or indecent, especially with sexual content.
The comedian's dirty humor wasn't suitable for a family audience.
She blushed at the dirty lyrics buried in the chorus.
UsageCommon combinations include dirty jokes, dirty lyrics, dirty talk, and a dirty mind.
Similarobscene, indecent, lewd, raunchy, salacious
Oppositeclean, decent, wholesome
Note
Moral uncleanness narrowed, above all, to sex. It sits most easily before words for talk and humor: dirty jokes, dirty lyrics, dirty talk. The disapproval is optional. In 2023 Kitty Drake quotes a couple who laugh about how dirty their sex can be, so the word works as fondly as it does reprovingly. Obscene and indecent are the stiffer neighbors.
Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 1 fact
Drake's 2023 interview supports this paraphrase; Mo supplies the quoted observation. theguardian.com
3
foul playadjective
Dishonorable; breaking accepted standards or rules of fair conduct.
The boxer was disqualified for a dirty punch below the belt.
Spreading lies about a rival is a dirty way to win an election.
UsageCommon pairings: a dirty trick, dirty tactics, a dirty player.
Similarunsporting, cheating, foul, unsportsmanlike
Oppositesportsmanlike
Note
Sport is its home ground. A dirty trick wins a penalty, and in C.J. Dennis's The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke (1915) Fortune itself lands a dirty left. Its opposite is sportsmanlike. The same sense of shame runs through the phrase dirty secret. Oliver Burkeman uses it in The Guardian Weekly in 2013 for the internet's profitable distractions: a fact that is shameful as well as hidden.
Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 5 facts
C. J. Dennis wrote The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke. gutenberg.org
The book was first published in 1915. en.wikipedia.org
The work portrays Fortune striking the narrator with a dirty left. gutenberg.org
Oliver Burkeman's use appeared in The Guardian Weekly in 2013. en.wiktionary.org
Burkeman calls internet distractions profitable. theguardian.com
4
corruptadjective
Corrupt or illegal; involving improper or unlawful conduct.
Investigators traced the dirty money to an offshore account.
The senator resigned after his dirty dealings came to light.
UsageCommon combinations include dirty money and dirty dealings.
Similardishonest, corrupt, unethical, dishonorable, sordid
Oppositeclean, honest, legitimate, ethical
Note
It describes corrupt or unlawful conduct rather than a foul in a game, and that is what separates it from the "unsporting" meaning. Its synonyms run toward contempt (base, despicable, lousy, sordid), so the word condemns the person as well as the act.
5
make filthyverbtransitive
To make something dirty or soiled, or to become dirty.
Don't dirty the clean towels with your muddy hands.
The mechanics dirtied their uniforms within an hour.
UsageForms: dirties, dirtied, dirtying. Everyday English more often uses get dirty or make something dirty.
Similarsoil, stain, muddy, smudge, foul
Oppositeclean, wash, cleanse
6
dull (color)adjective
Of a color, discolored or made impure by added matter.
The sky turned a dirty gray just before the storm.
Years of smoke had stained the ceiling a dirty brown.
UsageGoes before a color word: a dirty white, a dirty gray.
Similarmuddy, dingy, muddied
Oppositebright, pure
Note
It names a color that has lost its purity, not a surface carrying grime. That is why its opposites are bright and pure rather than clean. Muddy and dingy are its closest companions.
7
contaminatedadjective
Capable of making a person unclean, whether by corrupting them morally or by spreading infection.
Outreach workers handed out clean syringes so people would stop sharing dirty ones that spread disease.
After the flood, dirty water from the village well made dozens of families sick.
Similarunclean, impure, polluted, foul, contaminated
Oppositeclean, pure, wholesome
Note
Here the word looks forward rather than at the surface: the worry is what a thing will pass on. A parent's warning, "Don't put that in your mouth, it's dirty," is its everyday home. The object need not look grimy at all. That separates it from the plain "grimy" meaning, which describes what can be seen.
8
radioactiveadjective
Of a weapon or device: spreading harmful radiation over a wide area.
Investigators warned that a dirty bomb could render several city blocks uninhabitable.
Experts say a dirty bomb could spread radioactive material across a neighborhood, causing panic and requiring costly cleanup.
UsageMostly in dirty bomb.
Similarradioactive, radiological
Oppositeclean
Note
The word points to what the device scatters: radioactive material spread over a wide area. The blast itself is the main immediate danger. In effect it is the "infecting" meaning taken to its extreme, contamination potentially on the scale of a city.
9
distorted (sound)adjective
Of sound: rough, noisy, or distorted, whether through unwanted noise on a recording or deliberately, as in an overdriven guitar tone.
The vintage recording was too dirty for broadcast without restoration.
Engineers flagged the live take as dirty, with hum bleeding through every quiet passage.
Similarnoisy, distorted, scratchy
Oppositeclean, clear, pristine

Less common meanings

10
unfairlyadverb
In a manner that is unfair, dishonest, or unclean.
The team played dirty, tripping opponents whenever the referee looked away.
He fights dirty, hitting below the belt every chance he gets.
UsageCommon phrases are play dirty and fight dirty. These use dirty as an adverb.
Similarunderhandedly
Oppositefair, clean
11
olive juiceadjectiveslang
Of an alcoholic drink, especially a cocktail: served with a measure of olive brine or juice.
He asked the bartender for a dirty martini, heavy on the brine.
She prefers her vodka martini dirty, with three olives on the side.
UsageMostly in a dirty martini; you can also order a martini dirty.
12
unhealthy foodadjective
Of food, richly indulgent and unhealthy, often loaded with toppings such as cheese or meat.
Sometimes you just crave a dirty cheeseburger loaded with bacon.
Their menu is full of dirty desserts dripping with chocolate.
UsageOften fond rather than critical: dirty fries, a dirty burger.
Similarindulgent, decadent
Oppositehealthy, clean, wholesome, light
Note
Diet talk gives this sense its sharpest use. Dirty keto, in Mellissa Sevigny's Squeaky Clean Keto (2020), keeps the diet's ratios but fills them with fast food and processed meats. Her title plays on the opposite, clean eating. The word can judge what food does to the body, as there, or cheerfully praise a pile of extras, as in dirty fries.
Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 4 facts
Mellissa Sevigny wrote Squeaky Clean Keto. victorybelt.com
Squeaky Clean Keto was first published in 2020. ibreatheimhungry.com
The book describes dirty keto as maintaining typical keto macronutrient ratios while including fast food and processed meats. en.wiktionary.org
The title invokes clean eating. ibreatheimhungry.com
13
harm reputationverbtransitive
To stain or tarnish someone's reputation, or to debase something by misrepresenting it.
Critics sought to dirty the general's name with unfounded accusations.
One careless remark dirtied the family's honor for a generation.
Similartarnish, sully, stain, smear, blacken
Oppositeclear
14
carrying drugsadjectiveslang
Carrying illegal drugs on one's person or in one's bloodstream.
His drug test came back dirty two weeks before the season, and the coach cut him from the team.
Athletes who test dirty face an immediate suspension.
UsageIn drug-testing contexts: test dirty or come back dirty.
Similarpositive
Oppositeclean, negative
Note
Slang that asks whether someone is carrying: "None of y'all get into my car if you're dirty." It covers both what is in the pockets and what is in the blood, so a person can turn up dirty in a search or in a test. It belongs to talk among people who share the setting. In neutral writing, say carrying drugs or tested positive.
Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 1 fact
The quoted wording is an attested illustrative example; Wiktionary supplies it without attributing it to a speaker. en.wiktionary.org
15
veryadjectivecolloquial
Used as an intensifier, especially together with 'great'.
A dirty great spider scuttled across the kitchen floor.
They built a dirty great fence right across the view.
UsageUsed in the phrase dirty great + noun: a dirty great hole.
Similarwhopping, whacking, thumping
16
stormyadjective
Of weather, rough and unsettled, marked by sleet, strong gusts, and storms.
The captain reefed the sails as dirty weather closed in.
Forecasters warned of a dirty night, with squalls and driving sleet.
Similarstormy, foul, rough, squally, nasty
Oppositefair, calm, fine
Note
Weather and the sea are its subjects. Matthew Arnold's On the Study of Celtic Literature (1867) sets an angry, dirty sea beside storms of wind and dust. The sense is still alive in Douglas Adams's So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish (1984), where a dirty blatter of rain batters a windscreen. Think rough rather than merely wet.
Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 4 facts
Matthew Arnold wrote On the Study of Celtic Literature, first published as a book in 1867. upload.wikimedia.org
Arnold describes an angry, dirty sea alongside windy, dusty weather. tianmu.org
Douglas Adams wrote So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish, first published in 1984. en.wikipedia.org
The novel describes rain as a dirty blatter battering a windscreen. en.wiktionary.org
17
out of tuneadjective
Played or sung out of tune, with notes that sit off the correct pitch.
The piano sounded dirty after years without tuning.
The director stopped the choir because the altos' long note was dirty, sitting just under the right pitch.
Similaroff-key, sour, discordant, tuneless
Oppositeclean, harmonious, tuneful
18
adjective
Of data or a memory page: containing changes not yet written back to memory or disk.
19
adjective
Of an aircraft: configured with the landing gear and flaps in the down position.
20
adjectiverare
Of a pattern in a cellular automaton, producing a large amount of ash, the stray debris left behind.

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of dirty apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origin

From Middle English dirti, an alteration of earlier dritti, equivalent to dirt plus the suffix -y. It is related to Middle Low German drēterich meaning "dirty."

Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 3 facts

Dirty comes from Middle English dirti, an alteration of earlier dritti. en.wiktionary.org
The formation is equivalent to dirt plus the suffix -y. en.wiktionary.org
Dirty is related to Middle Low German drēterich, meaning dirty. en.wiktionary.org