Definition

1. Adjective:

   • Soiled or unclean: Covered with or containing dirt, grime, or filth.
   • Unethical or dishonest: Involving deceit, corruption, or unfairness.
   • Obscene or indecent: Characterized by vulgar, offensive, or sexually explicit content.
   • Unpleasant or disagreeable: Unpleasantly stormy, harsh, or mean-spirited.
   • Contaminated: Polluted or infected with harmful substances or organisms.
   • Dishonorable or despicable: Worthy of contempt; vile or mean.
   • Not bright or clear: Of a color, being dull, impure, or muddied.

2. Verb:

   • To make unclean: To soil, stain, or pollute something.

Usage and Examples

• Adjective:

  • She washed her dirty hands. (Describing physical uncleanliness)
  • It was a dirty business deal. (Describing unethical behavior)
  • He told a dirty joke. (Describing obscene content)
  • We're in for some dirty weather. (Describing unpleasant conditions)
  • The wound was dirty and needed cleaning. (Describing contamination)
  • That was a dirty trick to play. (Describing a despicable action)
  • The walls were painted a dirty white. (Describing a dull, impure color)

• Verb:

  • Please try not to dirty your new shoes. (To make something soiled)

Advanced Usage and Nuances

• "Dirty look": A facial expression showing anger, disapproval, or hostility.
  • She gave him a dirty look after his rude comment.
• "Dirty work":
  • Unpleasant or dishonest tasks.

    • He got his assistant to do all the dirty work.
  • Physically demanding and grimy labor.

    • Cleaning the engine is dirty work.
• "Dirty money": Money obtained illegally or unethically.
  • The authorities seized the gang's dirty money.
• "Play dirty": To act in an unfair, deceitful, or unethical way to gain an advantage.
  • The competition got fierce, and some companies started to play dirty.

Variants and Related Words

• Dirtied (verb, past tense/participle): Made dirty.
  • He dirtied his shirt while gardening.
• Dirtiness (noun): The state or quality of being dirty.
  • The dirtiness of the room was shocking.

Synonyms

• Adjective (soiled): Filthy, grimy, unclean, stained.
• Adjective (dishonest): Unethical, corrupt, underhanded, deceitful.
• Adjective (obscene): Vulgar, indecent, lewd, smutty.
• Verb: Soil, stain, sully, pollute.

Phrasal Verbs and Common Combinations

• Dirty up: To make something dirty.
  • The kids managed to dirty up the whole living room.
• Dirty one's hands: To become involved in something dishonest or unpleasant.
  • He refused to dirty his hands with their corrupt scheme.

Idioms

• Air one's dirty laundry (in public): To discuss private or embarrassing matters in public.
  • Their family should stop airing their dirty laundry on social media.
• Do the dirty on someone: (Informal) To treat someone very badly, especially by betraying them.
  • I thought he was my friend, but he really did the dirty on me.
• Get one's hands dirty:
  • To do hard, physical, or messy work.

    • The manager isn't afraid to get his hands dirty on the factory floor.
  • To become involved in immoral or criminal activities.

    • Politicians who get their hands dirty with bribes.

Adjective

1. unpleasantly stormy
   • there's dirty weather in the offing
2. unethical or dishonest
   • dirty police officers
   • a sordid political campaign
3. violating accepted standards or rules
   • a dirty fighter
   • used foul means to gain power
   • a nasty unsporting serve
   • fined for unsportsmanlike behavior
4. expressing or revealing hostility or dislike
   • dirty looks
5. obtained illegally or by improper means
   • dirty money
   • ill-gotten gains
6. (of a manuscript) defaced with changes
   • foul (or dirty) copy
7. (of color) discolored by impurities; not bright and clear
   • dirty is often used in combination
   • a dirty (or dingy) white
   • the muddied grey of the sea
   • muddy colors
   • dirty-green walls
   • dirty-blonde hair
8. contaminated with infecting organisms
   • dirty wounds
   • obliged to go into infected rooms- Jane Austen
9. spreading pollution or contamination; especially radioactive contamination
   • the air near the foundry was always dirty
   • a dirty bomb releases enormous amounts of long-lived radioactive fallout
10. vile; despicable
    • a dirty (or lousy) trick
    • a filthy traitor
11. (of behavior or especially language) characterized by obscenity or indecency
    • dirty words
    • a dirty old man
    • dirty books and movies
    • boys telling dirty jokes
    • has a dirty mouth
12. soiled or likely to soil with dirt or grime
    • dirty unswept sidewalks
    • a child in dirty overalls
    • dirty slums
    • piles of dirty dishes
    • put his dirty feet on the clean sheet
    • wore an unclean shirt
    • mining is a dirty job
    • Cinderella did the dirty work while her sisters preened themselves

Verb

1. make soiled, filthy, or dirty
   • don't soil your clothes when you play outside!