Nellie

American  

[nel-ee] / ˈnɛl i /

Or Nelly

noun

1. a female given name, form of Helen.

2. (often lowercase)

   1. Offensive. a fussily effeminate male.

   2. Extremely Disparaging and Offensive. a contemptuous term used to refer to a gay man.

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Nellie Idioms  

1. see nervous nellie.

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Etymology

Origin of Nellie

First recorded in 1930–35 Nellie for def. 2

Example Sentences

In the film, the car, nicknamed Wet Nellie, could transform into a submarine.

From BBC • Nov. 7, 2025

It includes a wordless soprano in tribute to Nellie Melba, the Australian soprano.

From BBC • Oct. 18, 2025

Weiss founded the Free Press with her wife, Nellie Bowles, who writes the humorous “TGIF” column, and with whom Weiss has 1- and 3-year-old children.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 6, 2025

Rep. Nellie Pou of New Jersey, the top Democrat on the Congressional Task Force for Enhancing Security for Special Events, held a public hearing last month on preparing for the World Cup and Olympics.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 2, 2025

Mr. Benson gave me a look and said nothing and Nellie Ahearn said,You’re a great oul’Yankee, Frankie.

From "Angela's Ashes: A Memoir" by Frank McCourt