nitty-gritty

[nit-ee-grit-ee] / ˈnɪt iˈgrɪt i /

NOUN

basic facts

Synonyms

STRONG

basics core essence focus fundamentals gist heart kernel meat quintessence reality root soul substance

WEAK

bottom line brass tacks chief part chief thing cold fact essential details essential part hard fact heart of the matter important matter meat and potatoes name of the game nuts and bolts the facts the name of the game

Antonyms

STRONG

exterior exteriority outside surface

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.

That meant the type of nitty-gritty negotiations needed to hash out potential structural changes to the sport never got off the ground.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 27, 2026

But I’m not interested in getting into the nitty-gritty of it all.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 18, 2025

Get into the nitty-gritty early on so you’re not scrambling the day of.

From MarketWatch • Nov. 28, 2025

“Democrats have got to turn the focus and start to appreciate those that are all around this country, that are doing the nitty-gritty day-to-day work, that don’t have all the money,” Bush said.

From Slate • Oct. 23, 2025

In short, they performed the sort of nitty-gritty credit analysis on the mortgage loans that should have been done before the loans were made in the first place.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis

nitty-gritty

Example Sentences

Related Words