Nellie
Americannoun
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a female given name, form of Helen.
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(often lowercase)
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Offensive. a fussily effeminate male.
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Extremely Disparaging and Offensive. a contemptuous term used to refer to a gay man.
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Etymology
Origin of Nellie
First recorded in 1930–35 Nellie for def. 2
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.
Nellie Kottler, from the estate, said the team had been "utterly staggered" by the discovery.
From BBC • Mar. 24, 2026
“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
In the film, the car, nicknamed Wet Nellie, could transform into a submarine.
From BBC • Nov. 7, 2025
The semi-saving grace is the presence of the distinctive singer-songwriter Nellie McKay, who performs some of her original compositions before, after and between the plays, accompanying herself on several instruments.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 23, 2025
“Why? Is there a Nellie DuMont Frissé marathon on PBS?”
From "Shine!" by J.J. and Chris Grabenstein
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
