dingy

[din-jee] /ˈdɪn dʒi/

adjective, dingier, dingiest.

of a dark, dull, or dirty color or aspect; lacking brightness or freshness.

shabby; dismal.

Origin

1730-40; origin uncertain

Related forms

dingily, adverb

dinginess, noun

Can be confused

dinghy, dingy.

Examples from the web for dingy

The entrance sits low and dingy below the sidewalk, next to some stained traffic cones.
Whatever you do, don't use that dingy recycled re-recycled tree-friendly paper.
Though formally homeless, few of those who lack settled abodes sleep on the streets, nor do many live in dingy hotels or hostels.
Yet the overall impression was one of dingy neglect and piecemeal repair.
Fortunately, the dingy will float even if it is partially inflated.
Some basic foods are available in dingy peso shops and through ration books.
Our adventuring heroine wakes up in a dimly lit cave, suspended upside-down and wrapped in a cocoon of dingy white cloth.
It looks unwelcoming, they say, dark and a little dingy.
Perhaps it's best to think of the book as sunlight through a dingy window.
Here's a great way to roam the world right from your dingy little veal-fattening pen.

British Dictionary definitions for dingy

/ˈdɪndʒɪ/

adjective -gier, -giest

lacking light or brightness; drab

dirty; discoloured

Derived Forms

dingily, adverb
dinginess, noun

Word Origin

C18: perhaps from an earlier dialect word related to Old English dynge dung

Word Origin and History for dingy

adj.

1736, Kentish dialect, "dirty," of uncertain origin, but perhaps related to dung. The noun dinge (1816) is a back-formation.

Slang definitions & phrases for dingy

adjective

Goofy; loony: a dingy move