dingy

Dingy is an English adjective describing something that is dull, drab, or dirty in appearance or atmosphere. A dingy room lacks light and shows grime or stains; a dingy street seems poorly maintained; a dingy color appears muddy or lifeless. The term often implies neglect or low quality and can apply to surfaces, fabrics, spaces, or lighting. In usage, dingy is typically placed before the noun, as in “a dingy hallway.” The comparative form is dingier and the superlative dingiest. Antonyms include bright, clean, pristine, and vibrant.

As a noun, dingy is much less common today and is generally superseded by dinghy for a small boat. In older nautical writing, dingy could refer to a small, open boat or tender used with a larger vessel, but this usage is rare in contemporary English.

Etymology and history: the adjective sense has a long history in English, with its precise origins not entirely clear. It connotes a lack of cleanliness or brightness and has remained focused on conditions of appearance or atmosphere rather than on color alone. The spelling dingy remains the standard form for the adjective, while nautical contexts often prefer dinghy to denote the small boat.