dirty and lousy share a recorded sense, so the question is not what they mean but which one fits. dirty means “soiled or likely to soil with dirt or grime”. lousy means “very bad”. dirty is the more common of the two in everyday English.
/ˈdɝti/
1.adj.soiled or likely to soil with dirt or grime
“dirty unswept sidewalks”
2.adj.(of behavior or especially language) characterized by obscenity or indecency
“dirty words”
3.adj.vile; despicable
“a dirty (or lousy) trick”
/ˈlaʊzi/
1.adj.very bad
“a lousy play”
2.adj.infested with lice
“burned their lousy clothes”
3.adj.vile; despicable
“a dirty (or lousy) trick”
| dirty | lousy | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ˈdɝti/ | /ˈlaʊzi/ |
| Said | DUR-tee | LOW-zee |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Letters | 5 | 5 |
| Parts of speech | adjective, verb | adjective |
| Senses | 13 | 3 |
| How common | Core | Common |
| Synonyms | soiled, unclean | icky, crappy, rotten |
Full entry for dirty · Full entry for lousy · More comparisons