dingy

The adjective dingy comes from uncertain origins, but experts suspect in may be a backformation from the word dung, which is animal excrement. So you can imagine how dirty, dismal, grungy, and grimy something described as dingy is.

The adjective dingy is often, but not always, used to describe one's clothing or living space. The homeless man's dingy clothes were no longer suitable for wearing, but he wore them anyway. "This hotel is too dingy, and I am not staying here!" she exclaimed. Asked by the hotel manager where the hotel was dirty and grimy, she twirled in a circle pointing at the walls, ceiling, floors, and other surfaces, while shouting, "Are you blind? Everywhere!"