schmutzige

Schmutzige is a German adjective meaning dirty. It is used to describe something covered with dirt or contamination, and can also be used figuratively to indicate moral or ethical taint. In everyday language it appears before a noun and inflects for gender, number, and case.

Grammatical note: When an adjective precedes a noun, schmutzige is common in feminine singular (die schmutzige Bluse) and in all plural forms (die schmutzigen Hosen or schmutzige Hände). Masculine and neuter singular forms differ in other contexts (der schmutzige Mantel, das schmutzige Wasser). The exact ending depends on the determiner and the noun, with broader inflection patterns across gender and case.

Etymology: The adjective derives from Schmutz, meaning dirt. It is related to older Germanic terms for dirt and has cognates in other Germanic languages. The comparative and superlative forms are schmutziger (more dirty) and am schmutzigsten (most dirty).

Usage examples: Schmutzige Hände are a common result of gardening or painting, while eine schmutzige Jacke describes a dirty jacket. Das schmutzige Wasser indicates contaminated water. Figuratively, schmutzige Tricks or schmutzige Politik describe unethical or unscrupulous conduct.

See also: Schmutz, related terms for dirt; dreckig, another common German synonym for dirty; dirty in other languages for cross-linguistic context.