Skip to main content
dirty

dirty

683 4.3
Dishonest or illegal, especially about money
  • adjective
  • /ˈdɜrti/
: sucio
  • Therefore, I pray for divine protection over the dirty war in which we are engaged.
  • dirty tricks
  • dirty work
  • dirty politics

And they do dirty deeds, but they don't do dirty deeds dunder cheap.

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • Not everyone, however, would apply Hughes's concept of "dirty work" to caregiving activities.

    Academic text (2001)
  • But I feel like they did they did DC dirty with how it all went down.

  • So that is, that is some dirty, dirty stuff going on.

  • Oh man, they did you dirty with that close up.

  • Well, I never did such a dirty thing in my life.

  • Like we get done dirty on the regs.

  • You know, the dirty secret is, most murders go unsolved, especially around here.

  • You'll pick some poor schmo to do the dirty work for you, but you'll choose the targets.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • The opposition, for its part, is as well versed in dirty tricks as PRI traditionalists are.

    Academic text (1999)
  • The company's involvement in the scandal revealed how they obtained their profits through dirty tactics.

Synonyms

corrupt
vsdirty
298 4.4

Willing to act dishonestly to gain money or power

describes the dishonest action or thing rather than the person's character
filthy
vsdirty
140 4.1

A person or action that is very bad and dishonest

describes unethical or illegal acts without the extreme moral disgust
dishonest
vsdirty
128 2.5

Likely to lie or cheat to get something for yourself

focuses on acts or gains obtained by unethical or illegal methods
shady
vsdirty
  • Informal
87 5.5

Not honest and likely to do illegal things

asserts actual dishonest or illegal action rather than mere suspicion
sordid
vsdirty
48 7.5

Dirty and morally wrong, often involving dishonest or cruel acts

focuses specifically on illegality or unfair gain rather than moral nastiness
ill-gotten
vsdirty
12 7.7

Money you get by stealing or cheating

covers dishonest actions or results beyond just illegally obtained items
unsportsmanlike
vsdirty
6 4.9

Behaving unfairly or rudely during a game

applies more generally to dishonest behaviour beyond competitive settings
shoddy
vsdirty
1 5.5

Dishonest and unfair, often in business

applies to any dishonest act, not only business conduct
unsporting
vsdirty
1 5.6

Acting unfairly in a game or competition

refers to dishonest or illegal acts across contexts, not sports only

Antonyms

259 4.1

Following rules about what is right and wrong in people's actions

lawful
  • Formal
73 2.9

Allowed by the law

Idioms

7 8.4

To talk about private or embarrassing family matters in public

1 9.5

Very quickly and suddenly without waiting or thinking

1 8.6

To talk about private, embarrassing problems in public

1 9.9

Leave a place very quickly

To talk about private, embarrassing things in front of other people

Compounds

dirty work
  • Informal
72 4.6

Unpleasant or shameful tasks that other people avoid

dirty laundry
  • Informal
32 5.3

Personal secrets that could cause embarrassment if made public

dirty word
  • NSFW
26 7.1

A word people think is rude or not polite

dirty bomb
  • NSFW
25 7.7

A weapon that explodes and spreads radioactive material to contaminate an area, not a nuclear bomb

22 6.0

Secret dishonest actions that harm or make someone look bad, often in politics and business

18 4.3

Money that someone gets through illegal or dishonest actions

15 6.7

A tough cop in Clint Eastwood films and a nickname for similar officers

13 2.8

A look that shows dislike or anger

12 4.9

An unfair action meant to harm or cheat someone

dirty joke
  • Offensive
11 7.2

A joke that talks about sex or private parts in a rude way

dirty old man
  • Offensive
10 8.4

An older man who makes sexual comments or touches younger people when they do not want him to

dirty dog
  • Offensive
9 8.0

A person who behaves badly or cheats others

dirty pool
  • Informal
3 8.2

Unfair or dishonest behavior in a competition

3 4.1

Having a face covered in dirt

dirty war
  • Offensive
2 9.2

A secret campaign by a government against suspected opponents using kidnapping, torture, and murder

dirty weekend
  • Offensive
2 8.8

A weekend away by a couple for private sexual or romantic activities

dirty story
  • Offensive
1 8.1

A joke or story about sex that people find rude

dirty thoughts
  • Offensive
1 7.2

Thoughts about sex that people think are improper or embarrassing

dirty linen
  • Informal
1 7.9

Private family or personal matters that embarrass people if the public finds out

1 6.6

A quick temporary solution made without care for small details

8.9

A short secret trip for a romantic or sexual meeting, often an affair

dirty code
  • Jargon
7.2

Computer code that is badly written and hard to read or fix

How Dishonest

corrupt
298 4.4
crooked
68 3.6
deceitful
31 5.0
dirty
683 4.3
shady
  • Informal
87 5.5

Surface Forms

dirty positive
dirtier comparative
dirtiest superlative

Morphology

dirty = dirt (semi-transparent) = dirt + y

The sense 'dishonest' is a metaphorical extension of 'dirty' (morally or legally unclean), so learners may see a relation but cannot derive precise meaning from the components alone.

Etymology

Dirty is also used for dishonest or illegal actions because people thought of them as 'stained' or 'unclean'; like clothes stained with dirt, 'dirty' money is seen as morally not clean.