grotty

Meaning

Unpleasant, dirty, slovenly or offensive.

Synonyms

beggarly

dirty

mean

wretched

unpleasant

rotten

bastardly

displeasing

filthy

ill-favoured

low-down

miserable

nasty

noisome

objectionable

pitiful

poor

sordid

ugly

unappealing

unblessed

uncongenial

unenviable

unpalatable

unpleasing

unrelenting

unsavory

worthless

mangey

arsey

unnice

beastly

brackish

charmless

chintzy

disagreeable

dislikable

Translations

schäbig

fastigós

unliebsam

unangenehm

ungut

widerlich

repulsiu

déplaisant

désagréable

insultant

maussade

rébarbatif

agaçant

déplaisante

desagradable

Etymology

Cognate with Scots: grotty

In summary

Clipping of grotesque + -y. Piecewise doublet of grody, the American equivalent. Compare Middle English groti, grooti (“slimy, muddy”), from Old English grotiġ (“earthy, dirty”) (modern dialectal English groaty, Scots grotty), which is equivalent to groat + -y. Compare also Scottish Gaelic grod (“rotten, lousy, terrible”), Middle Irish grot (“bitter, sour”).
Originated or popularised by the 1964 film A Hard Day's Night, starring the Beatles and written by Alun Owen.