gritty

adjective

grit·ty ˈgri-tē

grittier; grittiest

Synonyms of gritty

: containing or resembling grit

: courageously persistent : plucky

a gritty heroine

: having strong qualities of tough uncompromising realism

a gritty novel

grittily

ˈgri-tə-lē

adverb

grittiness

ˈgri-tē-nəs

noun

Did you know?

Gritty comes from grit ("small hard granules"), which in turn derives, via Middle English, from an Old English word for "sand" or "gravel." Grit has been around since before the 12th century, but the first appearance of gritty in print in English was near the end of the 16th century, when it was used in the sense of "resembling or containing small hard granules." Grit entered American slang with the meaning "courage or persistence" in the early 19th century, and gritty followed suit with a corresponding "plucky" sense. By the 19th century's end, gritty was also being used to describe a literary style that was rough and coarse.

Examples of gritty in a Sentence

I admire her gritty determination to succeed. The book describes the gritty realities of life on the streets. He gave us all of the gritty details of his divorce.

Recent Examples on the Web

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The direction adopted by Santa Monica Studio ushered an absurd amount of games that prioritized violence and gritty proclivities. —Diego Argüello, Rolling Stone, 22 Mar. 2025 The four-part show follows a gritty Neapolitan hustler, Carmine Esposito, who inherits a remote estate from his estranged late brother in Finland’s unforgiving Lapland. —Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 20 Mar. 2025 Their dynamic style also weaves in Cumbia, gritty street Samba, Son Montunoand Jarocho. —David L. Coddon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Mar. 2025 The Clippers passed that test, proving during a 132-119 win that this tough, gritty team can play with and beat the best. —Iliana Limón Romero, Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for gritty