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# grubby

adjective (grubby, grubbier, grubbiest)

«grubby» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. Rather dirty, usually from mud, sweat or touching things. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/grubby/#m1)
2. (informal) Not quite honest or decent: a grubby little trick. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/grubby/#m2)

### In the lessons

In everyday life «grubby» describes children's hands, knees, clothes and old books; adults say «wash those grubby hands before dinner». In hygiene lessons it reminds us to wash hands to remove germs. In stories it can describe a dishonest deal or a poor, dirty place. Phrases: grubby hands, grubby little fingers, grubby clothes.

### Examples

- Wash your grubby hands before you eat! [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/grubby/#x1)
- His school shirt was grubby after playtime. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/grubby/#x2)
- The library book had grubby fingerprints on it. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/grubby/#x3)
- The grubbiest kid on the team scored the winning goal. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/grubby/#x4)
- The car was grubby after the muddy road. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/grubby/#x5)
- It was a grubby trick to cheat in the quiz. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/grubby/#x6)

### Note

Comparative: grubbier, grubbiest (y → i). From «grub» (dirt, or an insect larva). Milder than «filthy». Informal word.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «grubby» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/grubby/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«grubby» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/grubby.html) on Mova free.