dirty

I. adjective (dirtier; -est) Date: 14th century 1. a. not clean or pure <

dirty clothes

> b. likely to befoul or defile with dirt <

dirty jobs

> c. contaminated with infecting organisms <

dirty wounds

> d. containing impurities <

dirty coal

> 2. a. morally unclean or corrupt: as (1) indecent, vulgar <

dirty jokes

> <

a dirty movie

> (2) dishonorable, base <

a dirty trick

> (3) unsportsmanlike <

dirty players

> b. acquired by disreputable or illegal means ; ill-gotten <

dirty money

> c. disagreeable, distasteful, or objectionable but usually necessary (as in achieving a desired result) <

hired a thug to do their dirty work

> 3. a. abominable, hateful <

war is a dirty business

> b. highly regrettable <

a dirty shame

> c. likely to cause disgrace or scandal <

dirty little secrets

> 4. foggy, stormy <

dirty weather

> 5. a. of color not clear and bright ; dullish <

dirty blond

> b. characterized by a husky, rasping, or raw tonal quality <

dirty trumpet tones

> 6. conveying ill-natured resentment <

gave him a dirty look

> 7. having considerable fallout <

dirty bombs

> • dirtily adverb • dirtiness noun Synonyms: dirty, filthy, foul, nasty, squalid mean conspicuously unclean or impure. dirty emphasizes the presence of dirt more than an emotional reaction to it <

a dirty littered street

>. filthy carries a strong suggestion of offensiveness and typically of gradually accumulated dirt that begrimes and besmears <

a stained greasy floor, utterly filthy

>. foul implies extreme offensiveness and an accumulation of what is rotten or stinking <

a foul-smelling open sewer

>. nasty applies to what is actually foul or is repugnant to one expecting freshness, cleanliness, or sweetness <

it's a nasty job to clean up after a sick cat

>. In practice, nasty is often weakened to the point of being no more than a synonym of unpleasant or disagreeable <

had a nasty fall

> <

his answer gave her a nasty shock

>. squalid adds to the idea of dirtiness and filth that of slovenly neglect <

squalid slums

>. All these terms are also applicable to moral uncleanness or baseness or obscenity. dirty then stresses meanness or despicableness <

don't ask me to do your dirty work

>, while filthy and foul describe disgusting obscenity or loathsome behavior <

filthy street language

> <

a foul story of lust and greed

>, and nasty implies a peculiarly offensive unpleasantness <

a stand-up comedian known for nasty humor

>. Distinctively, squalid implies sordidness as well as baseness and dirtiness <

engaged in a series of squalid affairs

>. II. adverb (dirtier; -est) Date: circa 1931 in a dirty manner: as a. deceptively, underhandedly <

fight dirty

> b. indecently <

talk dirty

> III. verb (dirtied; dirtying) Date: 1591 transitive verb 1. to make dirty 2. a. to stain with dishonor ; sully b. to debase by distorting the real nature of intransitive verb to become soiled