Definition

Adjective 1. Difficult to chew; having a tough, rubbery, or cartilaginous texture: Describes food, especially meat, that is full of gristle (tough, elastic tissue) and is therefore hard to cut or chew. 2. Consisting of or resembling gristle; cartilaginous: Pertaining to the tough, flexible connective tissue found in animal bodies.

Usage

The adjective "gristly" is used to describe the physical texture of food, particularly meat, that is unpleasant to eat because it is tough and requires much chewing. It is almost always used in a negative, descriptive context.

Examples

• The steak was so gristly that I could barely eat it.
• He found a gristly piece of fat in his stew and left it on the side of his plate.
• The cheap cut of meat was tough and gristly.

Advanced Usage

• Descriptive Extension: While primarily used for food, "gristly" can be used metaphorically to describe something that is unpleasantly tough or difficult to deal with, though this is less common.
  • The negotiations hit a gristly patch that lasted for weeks.

Variants and Related Words

• Gristle (noun): The actual tough, elastic tissue, usually found in meat, that is difficult to chew.
  • Trim the gristle off the meat before cooking.
• Cartilaginous (adjective): The more formal, biological term for consisting of or resembling cartilage.
• Tough (adjective): A more general synonym for something that is difficult to cut or chew.

Synonyms

• Chewy
• Tough
• Rubbery
• Leathery
• Stringy (can be similar, but often implies long fibers)

Antonyms

• Tender
• Soft
• Succulent

Related Phrases/Idioms

• (To be) full of gristle: An alternative way to describe something as gristly.
  • This meat is full of gristle.

Adjective

1. difficult to chew