nasty
adjective
physically filthy; disgustingly unclean.
nasty
1 American
[nas-tee]
/ ˈnæs ti /
adjective
-
nastier,
comparative
-
nastiest
superlative
-
physically filthy; disgustingly unclean.
a nasty pigsty of a room.
- Antonyms:
- unstained, spotless, immaculate, clean
-
offensive to taste or smell; nauseating.
This ointment is really nasty—couldn't they make it smell less vile?
-
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 accident.
a nasty cut;
a nasty accident.
-
very unpleasant or disagreeable.
nasty weather.
-
morally filthy; obscene; indecent.
a nasty word.
- Synonyms:
- smutty
-
Slang. formidable: a young pitcher with a nasty slider.
the raw, nasty power of this engine;
a young pitcher with a nasty slider.
noun
-
nasties
plural
-nasty
2
American
nasty
1
British
/ ˈnɑːstɪ /
adjective
-
unpleasant, offensive, or repugnant
-
(of an experience, condition, etc) unpleasant, dangerous, or painful
a nasty wound
-
spiteful, abusive, or ill-natured
-
obscene or indecent
-
informal a cruel or mean person
noun
-nasty
2
British
combining form
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Adjectives
Etymology
Origin of nasty1
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, further origin unknown
Origin of -nasty2
Explanation
Something nasty is filthy, foul, dirty, or awful. Nasty isn't a word for anything nice. The main meaning of nasty is for things that are unpleasant and very gross. If someone throws up in class, at least one student will probably say, "That's nasty!" The smell of a bathroom is nasty. A song full of dirty words is nasty in a different way. Nasty can also mean "extremely." In football, a vicious hit can be called a nasty hit. A mean person is a nasty person too.
Vocabulary lists containing nasty
The SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words, List 7
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The New SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words
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More Negative Words to Describe a Person
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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.
See Examples For:
For the erstwhile spokeswoman, it was nasty, brutish and especially short.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 18, 2026
Other unions have been decidedly cool to the measure, leading to a nasty outbreak of finger-pointing within the state’s organized labor ranks, as my colleagues Seema Mehta, Nicole Nixon and Taryn Luna reported.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
Reflecting on the early years of Welsh devolution, former Welsh government adviser Prof David Reynolds said ministers had been seeking change "by being nice to people rather than being nasty".
From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026
But HOAs can also add to the likelihood that you will get an unexpected, even nasty surprise just as you are about to close the sale.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 22, 2026
I felt a nasty chill run up my spine.
From "Lawn Boy Returns" by Gary Paulsen
He loves all disfigured nasties, be they swamp creatures, eyeball-less ogres or bolt-headed Hellboys.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2025
Our immune systems already do a fantastic job fighting viruses and other nasties.
From BBC ● Feb. 8, 2025
Think of what you step in outside: Shoes can carry all kinds of nasties, including pesticides and bacteria such as E. coli.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 15, 2024
AMR is a broad phenomenon, but simply describes when our tools defending against deadly microscopic nasties stop working.
From Salon ● Mar. 9, 2024
I looked around the band hall, sure that Rachel was going to make a bunch of bloodthirsty nasties pop out of the walls; but we were still alone.
From "The Battle of the Labyrinth" by Rick Riordan
I’ll touch on three of the nastier downsides, starting with bad tenants.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 14, 2026
Christopher and Anya’s adventures unspool at a breathless pace as they hop from island to island, dueling with pirates, trespassing among giants and competing in a deadly street race featuring some of Glimouria’s nastier creatures.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
“The building’s just nastier now,” said Hayes, 30.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 5, 2024
Before the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Sebastian Vettel was the championship leader, but events in Baku turned the fight nastier.
From BBC ● Oct. 31, 2024
It came out nastier than I wanted it to.
From "Here to Stay" by Sara Farizan
A coming together of these tendencies has given rise to the nastiest surprise of his global policy—his ill treatment of India.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 24, 2025
He told called the question “nasty” and told the reporter, “don’t ever say what you said,” because “that’s a nasty question. To me, that’s the nastiest question.”
From Slate ● May 31, 2025
One of the largest, priciest and nastiest proxy contests in history will come to a head on Wednesday, when Disney is scheduled to virtually host its annual shareholder meeting.
From New York Times ● Apr. 3, 2024
The race between Min and Weiss was one of the nastiest this cycle, with each campaign relentlessly attacking the other.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 6, 2024
The vines protected their turf with the meanest, nastiest thorns ever and could even stab through shoes.
From "The House of the Scorpion" by Nancy Farmer
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