Word
shitty
Phoneticsshit·ty
US/ˈʃɪˌti/
UK/ʃˈɪti/
Definitions
01very bad or low quality
adj. very bad, unpleasant, or made poorly.
adj. of extremely poor quality or standard; failing to meet expectations in a frustrating way.
“I had a really shitty day at work and just want to go to sleep.”
“The contractor did a shitty job on the roof, and now it leaks every time there is a minor rainstorm.”
Slang · Vulgar
Usage
Commonly used to describe experiences, objects, or weather.
02unfair or unkind
adj. treating someone in an unfair or mean way.
adj. characterised by unkindness, selfishness, or a lack of ethics in interpersonal treatment.
“It was a shitty thing to do, leaving him to pay the whole bill.”
“The company has a history of shitty behavior toward its junior employees, often denying them overtime pay.”
Slang · Vulgar
Usage
Often used in the phrase 'a shitty thing to do'.
03annoyed or angry
adj. feeling annoyed or in a bad mood with someone.
adj. experiencing a state of irritation or resentment toward a person or situation.
“Don't get shitty with me just because you lost your keys.”
“He's been acting shitty all afternoon because his football team lost the match.”
Slang · Vulgar · British English · Dialect
Teaching tip
This sense is particularly common in British, Australian, and New Zealand English; learners should be aware it sounds very aggressive in American English.
Synonyms
Etymology
From shit + -y. Cognate with German Low German schittig (“dirty, shitty”), German scheißig (“shitty”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/shitty