nasty
physically filthy; disgustingly unclean: a nasty pigsty of a room.
offensive to taste or smell; nauseating: This ointment is really nasty—couldn't they make it smell less vile?
offensive; objectionable: a nasty habit.
vicious, spiteful, or unkind: a nasty dog;a nasty rumor.
bad or hard to deal with, encounter, undergo, etc.; dangerous; serious: a nasty cut;a nasty accident.
very unpleasant or disagreeable: nasty weather.
Slang. formidable: the raw, nasty power of this engine;a young pitcher with a nasty slider.
Informal. a nasty person or thing.
Origin of nasty
1Other words for nasty
Opposites for nasty
| 1 | clean, immaculate, spotless, unstained, unsoiled |
Other words from nasty
- nas·ti·ly, adverb
- nas·ti·ness, noun
Other definitions for -nasty (2 of 2)
a combining form with the meaning “nastic pressure,” of the kind or in the direction specified by the initial element: hyponasty.
Origin of -nasty
2Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use nasty in a sentence
An aerial image shows what appears to be a spa, roiling water apparently carrying no nasty connotations.
The Luxury Homes That Torture and Your Tax Dollars Built | Michael Daly | December 12, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTIt may not be a story the Vatican wants told, but such nasty behavior is also a part of the Renaissance.
No one needs to be reminded that the men in charge in Damascus and Tehran are really nasty guys.
There’s Only One Way to Beat ISIS: Work With Assad and Iran | Leslie H. Gelb | October 18, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTSo is Sam Lutfi a legitimate manager or just a nasty opportunist?
Sam Lutfi Is Young Hollywood’s Most Infamous Svengali | Amy Zimmerman | October 17, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTUse him as the poster child for a nasty, devilish lobbying group being the de facto fourth branch of government.
But the nasty part of the whole thing was, that Haggard had won eleven thousand pounds from a weak-headed boy.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3) | Charles James WillsBut if people will insist on patting a strange poet, they mustn't be surprised if they get a nasty bite!
The nasty scandal at the Pandemonium had been particularly irritating to Haggard personally.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3) | Charles James WillsYou pouted and sulked, and had a great fight with nurse, for bringing a nasty boy into the house.
The World Before Them | Susanna MoodieI'm a nasty cross old thing before lunch, Mr. Wentworth, so I don't come down till afterwards nowadays.
First Plays | A. A. Milne
British Dictionary definitions for nasty (1 of 2)
/ (ˈnɑːstɪ) /
unpleasant, offensive, or repugnant
(of an experience, condition, etc) unpleasant, dangerous, or painful: a nasty wound
spiteful, abusive, or ill-natured
obscene or indecent
nasty piece of work British informal a cruel or mean person
an offensive or unpleasant person or thing: a video nasty
Origin of nasty
1Derived forms of nasty
- nastily, adverb
- nastiness, noun
British Dictionary definitions for -nasty (2 of 2)
indicating a nastic movement to a certain stimulus: nyctinasty
Origin of -nasty
2Derived forms of -nasty
- -nastic, adj combining form
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Browse