1
as in filthy
not clean
after working in the factory all day, his clothes are very dirty
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2
as in obscene
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
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3
as in turbulent
marked by wet and windy conditions
they were unknowingly sailing into dirty weather
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4
as in foul
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
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5
as in nasty
not following or in accordance with standards of honor and decency
accused the other campaign of playing dirty tricks
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6
as in cheap
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
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7
as in corruptible
open to improper influence and especially bribery
a movie about a dirty cop paid to protect a mafioso
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as in to stain
to make dirty
she dirtied her new sneakers when she splashed in the puddle
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as in illegally
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of dirty
Claudia Levens, jsonline.com, 6 Jan. 2026
The Hannah Montana alum wore her dirty blonde tresses in natural waves with full fringe, while her makeup consisted of taupe eye shadow, muted blush, and lip gloss.
—Hannah Malach, InStyle, 5 Jan. 2026
Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2025
At Dilara Findikoglu, models looked like ladies in waiting that had risen from the dead; wearing antiquated corsetry that was dirtied and torn.
—Leah Dolan, CNN Money, 23 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dirty
Adjective
Logsdon told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel in December 2025 that the move represents a dirty political trick.
—Verb
The ashes from the crematorium chimney covered the streets, sooted the rain, dirtied the snow, damaged the crops, infected every body.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for dirty
Adjective
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Merry Christmas ya filthy animals.—
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In other words, Cunha’s job is to convince the Americans now running the federal government to give Brown’s motley crew of gender-benders, anti-Semites and filthy-rich legacies a good leaving alone.—
Adjective
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Indonesia, with the world’s biggest Muslim population, has strict rules that ban the sharing online of content deemed obscene.—
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Sylvie's storylines are ridiculous, her wardrobe obscene, her audacity unparalleled.—
Adjective
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Use extra caution near the surf zone as these large waves will be capable of sweeping people into the frigid and turbulent ocean water.—
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The story of the Platonic representation hypothesis paper began in early 2023, a turbulent time for AI researchers.—
Adjective
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With about six minutes remaining in the second half, fans reacted unfavorably to a foul call against Spartans forward Jaxson Kohler.—
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But the Warriors were unable to also overcome Curry piling up four fourth-quarter fouls, which led to his first foul-out since 2021.—
Adjective
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Richards has missed Palace’s previous four fixtures after picking up a nasty foot injury against Leeds in the Premier League just before Christmas.—
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Ra Shaya Kyle, feeling miserable with a nasty cold that kept her out of practice for two days, scored a career-high 30 points to lead the University of Miami women’s basketball team to an 89-73 win over rival Florida State University on Sunday afternoon at the Watsco Center.—
Adjective
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Researchers at Shanghai Jiao Tong University in China have designed a new sodium-sulfur battery with higher power density and discharge capacity than before, enabling a cheaper, safer alternative to lithium-ion batteries.—
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Fentanyl is cheap, compact, and lethal at microscopic doses, produced through decentralized networks designed to survive disruption.—
Adjective
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From fragmented records to corruptible datasets and the general noise across social media, agentic systems are facing a trust and truth crisis at the most fundamental level.—
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Iran prefers weak allies over strong ones, and corrupt and corruptible governments over ones that respond to their citizens’ needs.—
Verb
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This mixture attacks stains a bit stronger than the water solution.—
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While new doors can cost anywhere from several hundred to thousands of dollars, staining, painting, and weather stripping can be done for under $150, according to O'Reilly.—
Cite this Entry
“Dirty.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dirty. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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