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dingy

/ˈdɪndʒi/
/ˈdɪndʒi/
IPA guide

Other forms: dingier; dingiest

If something is dingy, it's dirty. If you spend your days as a chimney sweeper, you probably look pretty dingy.

The adjective dingy is often, but not always, used to describe one's clothing or living space. The adjective dingy comes from uncertain origins, but experts suspect it may be a backformation from the word dung, which is animal excrement. So you can imagine how dirty, dismal, grungy, and grimy something described as dingy is.

Definitions of dingy
  1. adjective
    thickly covered with ingrained dirt or soot
    dingy linen”
    dirty, soiled, unclean
    soiled or likely to soil with dirt or grime
  2. adjective
    (of color) discolored by impurities; not bright and clear
    “a dirty (or dingy) white”
    synonyms: dirty, muddied, muddy
    impure
    combined with extraneous elements
  3. adjective
    gloomy or causing dejection
    cheerless, depressing, uncheerful
    causing sad feelings of gloom and inadequacy
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