dirty

dirty — adjective

1. having a surface covered with unwanted matter like earth, soot, or leftover food

1.adjectiveA1
Definition

having a surface covered with unwanted matter like earth, soot, or leftover food; also describes environments where the air or water contains harmful particles or bacteria.

Example

Gabriel's white shirt got dirty when he fell off his bicycle on the muddy path.

collocation: get dirty + cause

Ada had to scrub the kitchen floor twice because it was so dirty with grease and crumbs.

dirty with [substance]

Common collocations
  • get dirty
  • look dirty
  • dirty with
  • dirty clothes
  • dirty dishes
  • dirty water
Synonyms
  • filthy

    much stronger; suggests disgust and a heavy layer of dirt

  • soiled

    more formal; often used for fabric or clothing that is slightly dirty from use

  • grimy

    covered with a thin layer of ingrained dirt, often on surfaces or skin

Antonyms
  • clean

    free from dirt or marks

  • spotless

    completely clean, with no marks at all

Usage Note

Common with the preposition 'with' to name the substance causing the dirt. Can describe both objects (clothes, floors) and natural elements (air, water).

Common Mistakes

The floor is dirt.
The floor is dirty.
'dirt' is a noun (uncountable); 'dirty' is the adjective form.

2. involving behaviour that is morally wrong, breaks accepted rules, or treats othe

2.adjectiveB1
Definition

involving behaviour that is morally wrong, breaks accepted rules, or treats others badly in order to gain an advantage.

Example

Camille received a red card for a dirty tackle that hurt her opponent on purpose.

dirty tackle (sports)

Adisa discovered that his business partner had been making dirty deals behind his back.

dirty deals (business)

Common collocations
  • dirty trick
  • dirty deal
  • dirty methods
  • play dirty
  • dirty work
Synonyms
  • unfair

    broader, less emotional; simply not following the rules or treating people equally

  • dishonest

    focuses on lying or cheating rather than general unfairness

  • crooked

    informal; describes a person who is involved in illegal or corrupt activities

Antonyms
  • fair

    treating people equally and following the rules

  • honest

    truthful and morally upright

Usage Note

Common in sports (dirty tackle, dirty play), business (dirty deal), and politics (dirty campaign). Frequently used in fixed noun phrases like 'dirty trick' and 'dirty work'.

Common Mistakes

He played a dirt trick on me.
He played a dirty trick on me.
'dirt' is a noun; the adjective form 'dirty' is needed.

3. describing sexual content that is intended to cause shock, embarrassment, or off

3.adjectiveB2
Definition

describing sexual content that is intended to cause shock, embarrassment, or offence among those who hear or see it, especially in speech, humour, or pictures.

Example

The manager was fired for telling dirty jokes that made several colleagues feel uncomfortable.

dirty jokes

Anjali reported her co-worker to HR for sending dirty messages on the office chat system.

Common collocations
  • dirty joke
  • dirty talk
  • dirty word
  • dirty story
  • dirty movie
Synonyms
  • obscene

    stronger; describes content that is morally shocking and often illegal

  • vulgar

    focuses on being rude or crude, not specifically about sex

  • indecent

    more formal; describes behaviour or material that violates accepted standards of modesty

Antonyms
  • decent

    respecting accepted standards of modesty and propriety

  • clean

    free from offensive sexual content (e.g. a clean joke)

Usage Note

Strongly negative register. Avoid using in formal, professional, or polite company. Often appears in complaints, ratings warnings, or descriptions of banned content.

4. describes food that is very tasty but contains large amounts of fat, salt, or su

4.adjectiveB1
Definition

describes food that is very tasty but contains large amounts of fat, salt, or sugar, making it an unhealthy choice — often associated with extra toppings like cheese, sauce, or bacon.

Example

After exams Christopher treated himself to a dirty burger piled high with melted cheese and bacon.

dirty burger (collocation)

Nila knew the pizza was dirty with extra pepperoni and cheese, but she ordered it anyway.

dirty with [topping]

Common collocations
  • dirty burger
  • dirty fries
  • dirty pizza
  • dirty food
Synonyms
  • indulgent

    more neutral; focuses on treating oneself without the guilt implied by 'dirty'

  • decadent

    more formal; suggests rich, luxurious, and excessive in a pleasing way

  • sinful

    playful slang; implies that the food is so good it feels like wrongdoing

Antonyms
  • healthy

    good for one's body; containing nutritious ingredients

  • clean

    refers to eating unprocessed, whole foods (the opposite of dirty eating)

Usage Note

Informal food culture term common in blog posts, menus, and casual reviews. Often pairs with specific dish names (dirty burger, dirty fries, dirty pizza). Never used in formal nutritional or medical contexts.

5. describes a colour that has lost its original brightness or clarity, often appea

5.adjectiveB1
Definition

describes a colour that has lost its original brightness or clarity, often appearing faded, cloudy, or mixed with grey or brown.

Example

The old living-room curtains had faded to a dirty grey that did not match the walls anymore.

dirty grey (colour compound)

Adisa painted over the dirty yellow walls because the colour made the kitchen feel dark and cramped.

Common collocations
  • dirty white
  • dirty grey
  • dirty yellow
  • dirty brown
  • dirty green
Synonyms
  • dull

    broader; can describe any colour lacking brightness or intensity

  • faded

    specifically describes a colour that has lost its strength over time from light or washing

  • dingy

    describes a colour that looks dull and also slightly unclean

Antonyms
  • bright

    strong, vivid, and easy to see

  • vivid

    extremely bright and clear in colour

Usage Note

Almost always combined with a colour name (dirty white, dirty grey, dirty yellow) to describe a shade that contains a hint of another colour or lacks purity. Not used alone.

Idioms

air/wash your dirty laundry/linen in public

idiom

To talk about private or embarrassing personal matters where other people can hear.

Mia refused to air her dirty laundry in public during the meeting.

Why would you wash your dirty linen in public at a family dinner?

(do somebody’s) dirty work

idiom

To perform unpleasant or dishonest tasks that another person wants to avoid.

The manager made his assistant do the dirty work of firing employees.

Brian always gets his brother to do the dirty work for him.

do the dirty on somebody

idiom

To cheat or treat someone badly, especially when they trust you.

Sara did the dirty on her best friend by stealing her boyfriend.

I can't believe he did the dirty on his business partner.

down and dirty

idiom

Acting in a dishonest or aggressive way, especially to win.

The politician got down and dirty with his opponent during the debate.

Their advertising campaign became down and dirty, attacking rivals personally.

get your hands dirty

idiom

To do physical work, often involving manual labor.

The CEO got his hands dirty by helping pack boxes in the warehouse.

Aiden isn't afraid to get his hands dirty in the garden.

give/shoot somebody a dirty look

idiom

To look at someone in a way that shows you are angry or annoyed with them.

When he interrupted her, she shot him a dirty look.

The teacher gave the noisy student a dirty look from across the room.

dirty — adverb

dirty — verb

Word family

  • dirt
    nounA1
  • dirtiness
    nounB2
  • dirtily
    adverbC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All five words describe something that is not clean, but they differ in intensity and context. 'Dirty' is the general, everyday word — any object with visible or invisible uncleanliness is dirty. 'Filthy' is much stronger: a filthy object is disgustingly dirty, often covered in a thick layer of grime or waste. 'Grimy' describes a surface that has a thin, ingrained layer of dirt that has built up over time — like a mechanic's hands after a day's work. 'Soiled' is more formal and often used for fabric that has become slightly dirty through use, such as soiled napkins or soiled uniforms. 'Stained' means the dirt has left a permanent mark — a coffee-stained mug or a blood-stained shirt. If you drop your sandwich on the floor, it gets dirty. If it lands on an oil patch, it is stained. If you drop it in a bin, it becomes filthy. A workshop bench might be grimy after months of use. A restaurant napkin that has been touched by food is soiled.

dirty ↗filthygrimysoiledstained

Common collocations

Nouns

  • dirty laundry
  • dirty work
  • dirty look

Adverbs

  • extremely dirty
  • a bit dirty
  • terribly dirty
  • slightly dirty
  • hopelessly dirty

Phrases

  • get dirty
  • look dirty
  • feel dirty

Prepositions

  • dirty with mud
  • dirty with grease
  • dirty from work

Etymology

Old NorseMiddle EnglishEnglish

The word 'dirty' comes from the noun 'dirt', which traces back to Middle English 'drit' (meaning excrement or mud), and further to Old Norse 'drit' (excrement). The suffix '-y' was added to form the adjective meaning 'covered with dirt' around the 14th century. By the 1500s, 'dirty' had already taken on figurative meanings — 'dirty trick' (unfair behaviour) appeared in the 1500s, and the sexual sense emerged in the 1800s. The adverbial intensifier ('dirty great') is a British English development from the 1900s.