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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.
Examples of gritty in a Sentence
Ben Church,
CNN Money,
4 July 2026
Trent Grisham hit a leadoff homer and a sacrifice fly in his return from a strained right hamstring, and Gerrit Cole (3-3) pitched five gritty innings to help the Yankees end their longest slide since a nine-game skid in August 2023.
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ABC News,
3 July 2026
Dar Zéro founder Brigid Smith stakes her claim on bohemian style, blending gritty luxury with elevated, global influences.
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Rebecca Suhrawardi,
Forbes.com,
2 July 2026
Acciari is a gritty veteran with playoff experience who had a positive impact in the Flyers’ first round win over his Pittsburgh Penguins in April.
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Kevin Kurz,
New York Times,
2 July 2026
See All Example Sentences for gritty
Cite this Entry
“Gritty.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gritty. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
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