grittiness
Rough, sandy quality
Grittiness is the quality of containing grit—small, hard particles that create texture or friction: the grittiness of sand between your teeth.
Extended to character, grittiness means toughness and resolve in the face of difficulty: Her grittiness carried her through the injury.
Applied to art or storytelling, it describes an unflinching, realistic portrayal of harsh conditions: the grittiness of 1970s crime films.
Rough or vulgar quality
- abrasivenessCoarse or harsh quality
- granularityLevel of detail
- roughnessUneven surface quality
- sandinessState of containing grit
graininess · scratchiness · crunchiness · bumpiness · unevenness · friability · raggedness · particulate
Persistent grip or resolve
- perseveranceSustained resolve despite obstacles
- resolveFirmness of purpose
- fortitudeEnduring courage under pain
- resilienceCapacity to recover quickly
toughness · mettle · backbone · steadfastness · doggedness · persistence · willpower · stamina
Unrefined or exposed state
- authenticityQuality of being genuine
- starknessSevere, unadorned quality
- harshnessUnsparing quality or manner
- unflinchingRefusing to show fear
noir · bleak · visceral · edgy · stark · unvarnished · hard-boiled · unglamorous
coarseness
Rough or vulgar quality
- abrasivenessCoarse or harsh quality
- granularityLevel of detail
- roughnessUneven surface quality
sandiness · graininess · scratchiness · crunchiness · bumpiness · unevenness · friability · raggedness · particulate · sediment
tenacity
Persistent grip or resolve
- perseveranceSustained resolve despite obstacles
- resolveFirmness of purpose
- fortitudeEnduring courage under pain
resilience · toughness · mettle · backbone · steadfastness · doggedness · persistence · willpower · stamina · pluck
rawness
Unrefined or exposed state
- authenticityQuality of being genuine
- starknessSevere, unadorned quality
- harshnessUnsparing quality or manner
unflinching · noir · bleak · visceral · edgy · stark · unvarnished · hard-boiled · unglamorous · seedy
streetscape
Urban corridor's appearance
tenement · grime · asphalt · decay · blight · industrial · rundown · inner-city · seedy · hardscrabble
- touchtouch, feel, touching, caress, feeling
- filthdirt, grime, dirty, filthy, muck
- roughnessroughness, coarseness, bumpiness, abrasiveness, scratchiness
- sensationstaste, touch, smell, sound, pain
- touch sensationstouch, roughness, smoothness, softness, hardness
- writing craftcreative writing, diction, fiction writing, pacing, novel writing
grittinesssmoothness
Freedom from irregularity
silkiness · softness · sleekness · fineness · creaminess
grittinesscowardice
Absence of bravery
spinelessness · weakness · timidity · faintheartedness · pusillanimity
grittinesspolish
Smooth by rubbing
glossiness · slickness · sanitization · glamour · prettiness