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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
Mike Waters, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 Feb. 2026
The project represents a significant stylistic departure for Lee, who won the Golden Horse Award for best action choreography with her gritty boxing drama.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 14 Feb. 2026
And on the other side there’s the Africa of his father, where the director has shot several movies over the past decade, including Félicité, the gritty story of a singer in the Democratic Republic of Congo that won Berlin’s Silver Bear award back in 2017.
—Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 14 Feb. 2026
Ryan argues that this trailer is likely a preview of what the film will look like — that gritty, Netflix prestige vibe.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 13 Feb. 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 18 Feb. 2026.
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