nitty

American

[nit-ee] / ˈnɪt i /

adjective

nittier, nittiest

full of nits.

nitty ¹ British

/ ˈnɪtɪ /

adjective

infested with nits

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

nitty ² British

/ ˈnɪtɪ /

adjective

informal foolish; stupid

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of nitty

First recorded in 1560–70; nit ¹ + -y ¹

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Much of Thursday's hearing has focused on the nitty gritty of Wade and Willis' relationship.

From BBC • Feb. 15, 2024

They were just sort of in a, in a very nitty gritty way, trying to solve the problems that were put in front of them.

From Scientific American • Oct. 12, 2023

If you love getting into the nitty gritty of your profession and talking about a subject for two hours, make a podcast.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 18, 2023

They got into the nitty gritty on how to go about provide training and which countries might be willing to transfer jets to Ukraine.

From Seattle Times • May 22, 2023

He has need o' a clean pow that ca's his neighbour nitty now.

From The Proverbs of Scotland by Hislop, Alexander

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023