adj
grubby
GRUH-bee
adj
1
Dirty or unwashed, especially in a grimy, unpleasant way.
"The kids came in from the garden with grubby hands."
2
Morally sordid or disreputable.
"The whole deal had a grubby feel to it."
How to Use Grubby
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishDirty and grimy, or shady and disreputable when talking about behavior or deals.
Common pairings
grubby hands
grubby little secret
Word Forms
grubbier comparative, grubbies plural, grubbiest superlative
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Etymology
From grub plus -y, originally suggesting something infested with grubs, later coming to mean simply dirty.