filthy
filthy — adjective
- filthypositive
- filthiercomparative
- filthiestsuperlative
1. so dirty that it is unpleasant to look at, touch, or be near
so dirty that it is unpleasant to look at, touch, or be near
Nellie refused to sit on the filthy sofa in the waiting room.
collocation: filthy + [place or surface noun]
The kitchen was so filthy that Ziad called a cleaning service.
intensifier pattern: so filthy that…
Tuan scrubbed his filthy hands after fixing the old bicycle chain.
Jiwoo found a filthy mattress dumped behind the railway station.
The children came home filthy after playing in the mud all afternoon.
用法筆記
Stronger than 'dirty.' The speaker feels disgust, not just mild disapproval. Distinguish from sense 2 (OBSCENE; INDECENT), which describes offensive language or images, not physical dirt.
常見錯誤
2. using words or showing images that are sexually offensive
using words or showing images that are sexually offensive
Renata complained about the filthy jokes her colleague kept telling at lunch.
The website was blocked for hosting filthy images that broke the school rules.
collocation: filthy jokes / lyrics / comments
Samir turned off the radio when the song's filthy lyrics came on.
Megan felt uncomfortable reading the filthy comments under the news article.
The teacher confiscated the magazine because it contained filthy cartoons.
用法筆記
Always describes sexual content, not general bad taste or violence. Stronger than 'rude': 'filthy' implies the speaker finds the material morally offensive.
常見錯誤
3. clearly showing anger, especially through a facial expression or a bad mood
clearly showing anger, especially through a facial expression or a bad mood
Luca shot his brother a filthy look when he arrived an hour late.
collocation: give someone a filthy look
Devika was in a filthy mood after waiting forty minutes for the bus.
Noa's filthy temper scared everyone in the meeting room that morning.
Esteban sent a filthy email to the company after they cancelled his order.
The customer gave the waiter a filthy glare when the wrong dish arrived.
文法句型
a filthy look/mood/temper
用法筆記
Informal British English. Most often describes a look or mood, but can describe any strong outward display of anger. Not used to describe a person's character.
4. done with such impressive skill that it confuses or embarrasses an opponent
done with such impressive skill that it confuses or embarrasses an opponent
Nellie scored with a filthy backheel that left the goalkeeper standing still.
British sports slang: filthy + [sports move]
The crowd roared when Ziad pulled off a filthy dribble past two defenders.
Tuan's filthy spin move at the baseline won him the point easily.
Jiwoo watched the replay of that filthy no-look pass at least ten times.
The coach showed the team a clip of Renata's filthy free kick from last season.
- dazzling
similarly used in sports for brilliant skill
- outrageous
informal; suggests the move was shockingly good
- skilful
general term; lacks the informal, admiring tone
用法筆記
British informal sports slang. Always describes an action or move, never a person. Used as a compliment — it means the skill was so impressive it felt unfair to the opponent.
5. so bad in a moral sense that it causes deep disgust
so bad in a moral sense that it causes deep disgust
Renata exposed the filthy business deals that had been hidden for years.
The documentary revealed the filthy treatment of workers in those factories.
Samir called the bribe a filthy act, a betrayal of everything he believed in.
Megan could not believe the filthy lies her former friend had spread.
Noa described the fraud as a filthy scheme that hurt hundreds of families.
- vile
very similar in strength and moral focus
- despicable
deserving strong hatred or contempt
- contemptible
formal; not worthy of respect
- loathsome
causing intense dislike or disgust
用法筆記
Formal or literary. Describes actions or behaviour that are morally corrupt — lies, schemes, bribery. Not about physical dirt or sexual content.
filthy — adverb
1. used before 'rich' to mean extremely rich
used before 'rich' to mean extremely rich
Esteban's uncle got filthy rich by selling his tech company in his thirties.
adverb + adjective pattern: filthy rich
Nellie joked that only a filthy rich person could afford that beach house.
Ziad's cousin got filthy rich selling vintage trainers online during the pandemic.
Tuan dreamed of getting filthy rich and buying an island in the Pacific.
Chidi said the filthy rich businessman owned three private jets and a yacht.
- dirt poor
informal opposite; means extremely poor
文法句型
filthy rich
用法筆記
Always placed directly before 'rich.' The phrase 'filthy rich' is widely used in both British and American English. It often carries a slightly disapproving tone, suggesting the wealth is excessive.
常見錯誤
2. used before 'dirty' to mean extremely dirty
used before 'dirty' to mean extremely dirty
After the camping trip, Luca's sleeping bag was filthy dirty and smelled awful.
adverb + adjective pattern: filthy dirty
Devika scrubbed the filthy dirty oven for nearly two hours on Saturday.
The stray cat was filthy dirty, so Noa bathed it in the garden sink.
Esteban threw away the filthy dirty rug the dog had slept on all week.
Nellie refused to wear the filthy dirty jacket she found in the garage.
- extremely
the general intensifier; works with any adjective
- incredibly
similar strength but less colloquial than 'filthy dirty'
文法句型
filthy dirty
用法筆記
Always placed directly before 'dirty.' Common in British informal speech. Note that 'filthy' alone (adjective sense 1) already means extremely dirty; 'filthy dirty' is more emphatic still.