gritty

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
gritty/ˈɡrɪti/

▶adjective (grittier, grittiest)

• 1 containing or covered with grit.

• 2 showing courage and resolve.

  ■ tough and uncompromising: a gritty look at urban life.

– derivatives
grittily adverb,
grittiness noun.