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

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Nellie

Nellie Strandberg, a 16-year-old Brinell student, said she was on her way to the school's library when the assailant entered the institution.

From Barron's ● Aug. 22, 2026

Season 2 will take them to the banks of Plum Creek, near Walnut Grove, Minn., and into the orbit of one Nellie Oleson, who will be played by Willa Dunn.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026

Viktor and Nellie Anisovets bought a newly built home in Sacramento, Calif., in September.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 19, 2025

“And she loved to come out here and would stay just across the street at the Desert Inn, which was run by Nellie Coffman.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 9, 2025

I’m hoping Santa brings me this awesome star projector I saw in a catalog filled with scientific stuff or a book by my hero, Dr. Nellie DuMont Frissé.

From "Shine!" by J.J. and Chris Grabenstein

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