grubby B2 Topic:Describing Qualities US /ˈɡrʌbi/ UK /ˈɡrʌbi/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 adj dirty or grimy His hands were grubby after working in the garden. 2 adj involving dishonest or disreputable behavior The politician was involved in a grubby scandal. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 adj · dirty or grimy filthygrimysoiledstainedmucky 2 adj · involving dishonest or... sleazysordiddisreputableshadyscuzzy ↔ Opposites cleanspotlesspristinereputable Etymology AI details From Middle English grub- ('to dig; search') plus the adjective-forming suffix -y, giving grubby ('dirty; unclean') in Modern English. Topics Describing Qualities External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # grubby **Type:** Word **Level:** B2 **Part of speech:** adj **IPA (US):** /ˈɡrʌbi/ **IPA (UK):** /ˈɡrʌbi/ ## Meanings 1. dirty or grimy 2. involving dishonest or disreputable behavior ## Examples - His hands were grubby after working in the garden. - The politician was involved in a grubby scandal. ## Synonyms - filthy - grimy - soiled - stained - mucky - sleazy - sordid - disreputable - shady - scuzzy ## Antonyms - clean - spotless - pristine - reputable ## Etymology From Middle English grub- ('to dig; search') plus the adjective-forming suffix -y, giving grubby ('dirty; unclean') in Modern English. ## AI Etymology Grubby comes from Middle English grub- ('to dig; search') plus the adjective-forming suffix -y, giving grubby ('dirty; unclean') in Modern English. In current use it is an adjective meaning "dirty or grimy". That sense is explained by the older material without requiring a speculative semantic step: the inherited or borrowed base supplies the field of meaning, while the English formation fixes its modern role. The surface form is compositional: its joined elements remain visible in the modern word. The word's history is thus visible in its construction: the components remain interpretable even after the whole expression has settled into a conventional English meaning. ## Topics - Describing Qualities markdown