gritty
adjective
grit·ty ˈgri-tē 
grittier; grittiest
1
: containing or resembling grit
2
: courageously persistent : plucky
a gritty heroine
3
: having strong qualities of tough uncompromising realism
a gritty novel
grittily
ˈgri-tə-lē
adverb grittiness
ˈgri-tē-nəs
noun 
Did you know?
Gritty comes from grit ("small hard granules"), which in turn derives, via Middle English, from an Old English word for "sand" or "gravel." Grit has been around since before the 12th century, but the first appearance of gritty in print in English was near the end of the 16th century, when it was used in the sense of "resembling or containing small hard granules." Grit entered American slang with the meaning "courage or persistence" in the early 19th century, and gritty followed suit with a corresponding "plucky" sense. By the 19th century's end, gritty was also being used to describe a literary style that was rough and coarse.
Example Sentences
I admire her gritty determination to succeed. The book describes the gritty realities of life on the streets. He gave us all of the gritty details of his divorce.
Recent Examples on the Web The City uses gritty black & white and evocative urban settings in an attempt to create drama its script never much tries to deliver. 
John Defore, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Sep. 2022 Over the past three decades, developers have seized on opportunity to create new housing to meet demand from newcomers to this once-gritty industrial precinct. Jeffrey Steele, Forbes, 15 Aug. 2022 This novel is a gritty, dazzling take on a classic crime tale: a man lured back into the Life. The Week Staff, The Week, 1 Aug. 2022 Garbage collection arguably is the most gritty, necessary service and one people generally don’t talk much about. Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 July 2022 The Angel of Rome by Jess Walter Reading Jess Walter’s second collection of short stories, one is shepherded through sometimes gritty terrain, but with the constant assurance of finding light and unexpected laughs. Monitor Reviewers, The Christian Science Monitor, 14 June 2022 Apparently butterflies, like the one unnecessarily inserted into several scenes to give a dreamlike flutter to the otherwise unyieldingly gritty texture, see in vivid color. Jessica Kiang, Variety, 6 June 2022 Like Britt, many people acknowledge that a push by the city to make the traditionally gritty neighborhood safer has made strides while the sun’s shining. Mallory Moench, San Francisco Chronicle, 1 Apr. 2022 The gritty, coming-of-age take on the Teen Titans franchise starring Teagan Croft, Anna Diop, Brenton Thwaites, and Ryan Potter is confirmed for season 4, but a release date has not been shared yet. Jessica Wang, EW.com, 16 Aug. 2022 See More
John Defore, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Sep. 2022 Over the past three decades, developers have seized on opportunity to create new housing to meet demand from newcomers to this once-gritty industrial precinct. Jeffrey Steele, Forbes, 15 Aug. 2022 This novel is a gritty, dazzling take on a classic crime tale: a man lured back into the Life. The Week Staff, The Week, 1 Aug. 2022 Garbage collection arguably is the most gritty, necessary service and one people generally don’t talk much about. Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 July 2022 The Angel of Rome by Jess Walter Reading Jess Walter’s second collection of short stories, one is shepherded through sometimes gritty terrain, but with the constant assurance of finding light and unexpected laughs. Monitor Reviewers, The Christian Science Monitor, 14 June 2022 Apparently butterflies, like the one unnecessarily inserted into several scenes to give a dreamlike flutter to the otherwise unyieldingly gritty texture, see in vivid color. Jessica Kiang, Variety, 6 June 2022 Like Britt, many people acknowledge that a push by the city to make the traditionally gritty neighborhood safer has made strides while the sun’s shining. Mallory Moench, San Francisco Chronicle, 1 Apr. 2022 The gritty, coming-of-age take on the Teen Titans franchise starring Teagan Croft, Anna Diop, Brenton Thwaites, and Ryan Potter is confirmed for season 4, but a release date has not been shared yet. Jessica Wang, EW.com, 16 Aug. 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
grit entry 1 + -y entry 1
First Known Use
1598, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Phrases Containing gritty
Kids Definition
gritty
adjective
grit·ty ˈgri-tē
grittier; grittiest
1
: containing or like rough hard bits especially of sand
2
: showing toughness and courage
3
: harshly realistic
a gritty story
gritty
adjective
1
as in unflinching
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- unflinching
- gutty
- gutsy
- plucky
- resolute
- game
- fearless
- courageous
- determined
- brave
- spunky
- heroic
- undeterred
- spirited
- valiant
- undaunted
- unswerving
- dauntless
- undismayed
- adventurous
- intrepid
- valorous
- doughty
- bold
- stouthearted
- daring
- lionhearted
- stalwart
- gallant
- adventuresome
- firm
- greathearted
- heroical
- audacious
- stout
- brazen
- hardy
- Spartan
- brash
- mettlesome
- dashing
- undauntable
- venturous
- madcap
- impetuous
- venturesome
- hotheaded
- rash
- overconfident
- heedless
- wild
- hasty
- imprudent
- unafraid
- daredevil
- overbold
- incautious
- headlong
- precipitate
- emboldened
- comforted
- reassured
- encouraged
- heartened
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- scary
- timid
- anxious
- careful
- nervous
- cautious
- diffident
- shy
- mousy
- apprehensive
- skittish
- mousey
- afraid
- unadventurous
- upset
- disturbed
- prudent
- frightened
- agitated
- scared
- terrified
- shocked
- perturbed
- unnerved
- weak
- panicked
- startled
- heedful
- disquieted
- horrified
- concerned
- yellow
- worried
- spooked
- wimpy
- terrorized
- disconcerted
- unheroic
- appalled
- dismayed
- fearful
- spiritless
- gutless
- cowardly
- dastardly
- craven
- coward
- pusillanimous
- timorous
- nerveless
- spineless
- fainthearted
- panic-stricken
- ungallant
- chicken
- uncourageous
- poor-spirited
- weakhearted
- chickenhearted
- milk-livered
- lily-livered
- chicken-livered
- poltroon
2
as in sandy
Synonyms & Similar Words
- sandy
- earthy
- gravelly
- unfiltered
- unrefined
- rocky
- grainy
- stony
- granular
- pebbly
- grained
- coarse
- granulated
- stoney
- lumpy
- cracked
- mealy
- coarse-grained
- kibbled
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- dusty
- powdery
- fine
- smooth
- floury
- velvety
- superfine
- ultrafine
- buttery
- refined
- filtered
- ground
- levigated
- pulverized
- reduced
- comminuted
- milled
- micronized
- triturated
- mulled
- close-grained
- pestled
3
as in vivid
Synonyms & Similar Words
- vivid
- expressive
- graphic
- compelling
- convincing
- accurate
- graphical
- faithful
- realistic
- comparable
- similar
- like
- resembling
- true
- close
- analogous
- naturalistic
- akin
- approximate
- alike
- lifelike
- matching
- verisimilar
- photo-realistic
- living
- three-dimensional
- near
- natural
- naturalist
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- unrealistic
- unnatural
- dissimilar
- unlike
- different
- nonrealistic
- off
- incomparable
- disparate
- unmatched
- contrasting
- nonnatural
- fake
- contrasted
- phony
- unalike
- mock
- sham
- phoney