gritty
Rough and resolute
Gritty describes something containing or covered with grit—small, hard particles like sand or dirt: a gritty texture, gritty residue on the windowsill.
Extended to character, gritty means showing courage and resolve: a gritty performance, gritty determination.
In describing stories, films, or settings, gritty signals harsh realism—unpolished, unglamorous, often depicting urban decay or difficult circumstances: a gritty crime drama, the gritty streets of Baltimore.
Rough with particles
abrasive · gravelly · pebbly · scratchy · raspy · grating · crumbly · friable
In original state
- unflinchingRefusing to show fear
- authenticVerified as original
- unvarnishedWithout embellishment or coating
- hard-hittingUnsparing and direct
unsentimental · unromanticized · stark · bleak · harsh · brutal · visceral · candid
Fixed in purpose
- tenaciousStubbornly determined to continue
- steadfastFirmly loyal, unshakeable
- unyieldingRefusing to give way
- doggedStubbornly persevering
unflinching · indomitable · unwavering · persistent · courageous · staunch · unshakable · unrelenting
Hard-boiled film genre
- inner-cityCentral part of metropolis
- rundownQuick overview of facts
- seedyRundown and disreputable
- crime-riddenFull of illegal activity
decaying · industrial · back-alley · streetwise · hardscrabble · working-class · blue-collar · underground
grainy
Rough with particles
rough · abrasive · gravelly · pebbly · scratchy · raspy · grating · crumbly · friable · powdery
raw
In original state
- unflinchingRefusing to show fear
- authenticVerified as original
- unvarnishedWithout embellishment or coating
hard-hitting · unsentimental · unromanticized · stark · bleak · harsh · brutal · visceral · candid · honest
resolute
Fixed in purpose
- tenaciousStubbornly determined to continue
- steadfastFirmly loyal, unshakeable
- unyieldingRefusing to give way
dogged · unflinching · indomitable · unwavering · persistent · courageous · staunch · unshakable · unrelenting · plucky
noir
Hard-boiled film genre
- inner-cityCentral part of metropolis
- rundownQuick overview of facts
- seedyRundown and disreputable
crime-ridden · decaying · industrial · back-alley · streetwise · hardscrabble · working-class · blue-collar · underground · tenement
- touch feelingsrough, smooth, soft, hard, bumpy
- sensationstaste, touch, smell, sound, pain
- Sensory Wordssight, sound, smell, taste, touch
- sound qualitiesloudness, pitch, tone, faintness, clarity
- surface texturesrough, smooth, bumpy, coarse, grainy
- tenacitydetermined, persistence, persistent, perseverance, determination
- nitty grittyEssential practical details
- grit one's teethEndure something unpleasant
- grit your teethEndure something unpleasant determinedly
- gritting one's teethForcing oneself onward despite difficulty
- true gritAuthentic, steadfast courage
- gritted teeth
grit, grits, gritted, gritting, grittiness, grittier, grittiest, grittily