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dirty
1 a: not clean or pure <dirty clothes> b: likely to befoul or defile with dirt <dirty jobs> c: contaminated with infecting organisms <dirty wounds> d: containing impurities <dirty coal>2 a: morally unclean or corrupt: as
(1): indecent
, vulgar <dirty jokes> <a dirty movie>
(2): dishonorable
, base <a dirty trick>
(3): unsportsmanlike <dirty players> b: acquired by disreputable or illegal means : ill-gotten <dirty money> c: disagreeable, distasteful, or objectionable but usually necessary (as in achieving a desired result) <hired a thug to do their dirty work>3 a: abominable
, hateful <war is a dirty business> b: highly regrettable <a dirty shame> c: likely to cause disgrace or scandal <dirty little secrets>4: foggy
, stormy <dirty weather>5 aof color : not clear and bright : dullish <dirty blond> b: characterized by a husky, rasping, or raw tonal quality <dirty trumpet tones>6: conveying ill-natured resentment <gave him a dirty look>
synonyms dirty
, filthy
, foul
, nasty
, squalid mean conspicuously unclean or impure. dirty emphasizes the presence of dirt more than an emotional reaction to it <a dirty littered street>. filthy carries a strong suggestion of offensiveness and typically of gradually accumulated dirt that begrimes and besmears <a stained greasy floor, utterly filthy>. foul implies extreme offensiveness and an accumulation of what is rotten or stinking <a foul-smelling open sewer>. nasty applies to what is actually foul or is repugnant to one expecting freshness, cleanliness, or sweetness <it's a nasty job to clean up after a sick cat>. In practice, nasty is often weakened to the point of being no more than a synonym of unpleasant or disagreeable <had a nasty fall> <his answer gave her a nasty shock>. squalid adds to the idea of dirtiness and filth that of slovenly neglect <squalid slums>. All these terms are also applicable to moral uncleanness or baseness or obscenity. dirty then stresses meanness or despicableness <don't ask me to do your dirty work>, while filthy and foul describe disgusting obscenity or loathsome behavior <filthy street language> <a foul story of lust and greed>, and nasty implies a peculiarly offensive unpleasantness <a stand-up comedian known for nasty humor>. Distinctively, squalid implies sordidness as well as baseness and dirtiness <engaged in a series of squalid affairs>.
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