grody
grody
Pronunciation
/ˈɡroʊdi/
groh - /ˈɡroʊ/
dee - /di/
Word Form Variations
grody (adjective, singular)
grodier (adjective, comparative)
grodiest (adjective, superlative)
grodiness (noun, singular)
grodinesses (noun, plural)
Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms
Adjective
Feeling or looking disgusting; physically repulsive.
Example: "The locker room floor was so grody, I didn't want to walk on it with bare feet."
Synonyms: disgusting, repulsive, foul, vile, gross, nasty
Antonyms: clean, pristine, pleasant, appealing, immaculate
Of poor quality or taste; aesthetically unappealing.
Example: "I can't believe she wore that grody old t-shirt to the party."
Synonyms: tacky, trashy, cheap, ugly, tasteless, shoddy
Antonyms: stylish, fashionable, elegant, chic, classy
Noun
grodiness: The state or quality of being grody; physical or aesthetic repulsiveness.
Example: "The grodiness of the bathroom made me want to leave immediately."
Synonyms: foulness, vileness, nastiness, repulsiveness, squalor
Antonyms: cleanliness, appeal, pleasantness, beauty, elegance
Examples of Use
Books
"The miniseries is especially good at depicting the often grody shipboard atmosphere, with decks awash in whale blood and blubber." (Matt Roush, TV Guide, March 1998)
"They lived for a month in a grody little shack without lights or running water." (Example provided by Collins English Dictionary)
Newspapers & Online Publications
"That's a grody little secret she's got buried in her purse." (A fictional example provided by Dictionary.com to illustrate usage)
The term "grody to the max" was a popular phrase in "Valley Girl" slang, which was highlighted in a song by Frank Zappa and his daughter, Moon Unit Zappa, and quickly spread to other parts of the United States, transforming teenage vocabularies in the 1980s. (Merriam-Webster, December 2024)
Entertainment Mediums and Platforms
The term was famously used in the 1982 song "Valley Girl" by Frank and Moon Zappa, which helped popularize the "Valley Girl" subculture and its distinctive slang.
The word has appeared in various films and television shows from the 1980s onward, often used to describe something that is particularly disgusting or unappealing, such as a gross object or a character's bad outfit. In these contexts, it is often employed for comedic or satirical effect.
In general public discourse, "grody" is often used colloquially among friends or family to express disgust or a strong negative reaction to something's appearance or condition. For example, "This old milk smells grody" or "Look at that grody stain on the carpet."
10 Famous Quotes Using Grody
"Like, oh my God! Your toenails are like so grody." (Moon Zappa, "Valley Girl," 1982)
"My mother is like a total space cadet... she like makes me do the dishes and clean the cat box... it's like so grody." (Moon Zappa, "Valley Girl," 1982)
"The miniseries is especially good at depicting the often grody shipboard atmosphere, with decks awash in whale blood and blubber." (Matt Roush, TV Guide, March 1998)
"Grody to the max! I am sure." (Moon Zappa, "Valley Girl," 1982)
"Grody is in the eye of the beholder." (Kevin Hearne, Trapped, 2012)
"He was trying to get a picture of her grody feet in his phone." (A fictional quote from a personal anecdote)
"I can't believe they served us this grody food." (An original quote)
"My old truck is grody, but it gets the job done." (An original quote)
"That was a grody performance." (An original quote)
"The hotel room was so grody we had to switch rooms." (An original quote)
Etymology
The word "grody" is a slang term that first emerged in the United States, likely in the 1960s. It's a shortened, more playful version of the word "gross," which itself means something disgusting or repulsive. The "y" ending is a common way to turn an adjective into a more informal or cutesy-sounding word (think of "icky" from "ick").
While "gross" has a much longer history, "grody" became widely popular in the 1980s, especially with the rise of the "Valley Girl" subculture in California. The phrase "grody to the max" was a key part of this slang and was immortalized in popular culture, particularly in the 1982 song "Valley Girl" by Frank and Moon Zappa.
So, the word's journey began as a fun, informal twist on "gross" and was later cemented in American youth culture, becoming a lasting term for something that is unpleasantly dirty, ugly, or just plain disgusting.
Phrases + Idioms Containing Grody
Grody to the max: A classic phrase from the "Valley Girl" era of the 1980s, meaning something is extremely disgusting or unappealing.
A grody situation: Refers to a circumstance or environment that is unpleasant, dirty, or repulsive.
That's just grody: A simple exclamation used to express disgust or a strong dislike for something.
Looking grody: Describing someone or something as appearing dirty, unkempt, or unattractive.
Grody-gross: An intensified version of the word, emphasizing a higher level of disgust.
The grody underbelly: A figurative phrase for the dirty, unpleasant, or seedy side of a situation or place.
Grody-out: A synonym-based phrase, similar in meaning to "gross me out."
A grody mess: Referring to a particularly dirty or unhygienic state of something.
Feeling grody: Describing a personal feeling of being dirty, unwashed, or physically unpleasant.
Grody-licious: An ironic and humorous phrase that combines "grody" with "delicious" to describe something that is so bad it's almost good, or a guilty pleasure.
Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA
Source Information
Definition of grody from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.
