nasty

[ nas-tee ]

/ ˈnæs ti /

adjective, nas·ti·er, nas·ti·est.

physically filthy; disgustingly unclean: a nasty pigsty of a room.

offensive to taste or smell; nauseating.

offensive; objectionable: a nasty habit.

vicious, spiteful, or ugly: 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.

morally filthy; obscene; indecent: a nasty word.

Slang. formidable: The young pitcher has a good fast ball and a nasty curve.

noun, plural nas·ties.

Informal. a nasty person or thing.

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“Compliment” and “complement” had a shared meaning a long time ago, but today they are no longer interchangeable.

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Origin of nasty

1350–1400; Middle English < ?

SYNONYMS FOR nasty

1 dirty, foul, loathsome.

2 sickening, repulsive, repellent.

6 stormy, inclement. 7 smutty, pornographic.

ANTONYMS FOR nasty

1 clean, pure.

OTHER WORDS FROM nasty

nas·ti·ly, adverbnas·ti·ness, noun

Words nearby nasty

nast, nastase, nastic, nastic movement, nasturtium, nasty, nasus, nasute, nat, nat., natal

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for nastier

When she tried to stand up to me, I became irritated, and nastier.
My Strange Passage From Suspected School Shooter to Prom Queen|Gina Tron|January 28, 2013|DAILY BEAST
With the embellishment stripped bare, the diaries present a nastier, more easily irritated side of the man.
Orwell’s Lies: His Diaries Reveal Problems with the Truth|Jimmy So|August 19, 2012|DAILY BEAST
On X Factor, it is not only that the judges are nastier to each other than competition judges have ever been (they are).
Why 'X Factor' Trounces 'American Idol'|Richard Rushfield|December 1, 2011|DAILY BEAST
He was beginning to get on my nerves, and the 'feel' of the room was bad enough, without making it any nastier.
Carnacki, The Ghost Finder|William Hope Hodgson

He looked round the yard—dirtier and nastier than ever now in the parts that the Man Next Door had not had time to dig.
Harding's luck|E. [Edith] Nesbit
Also ordinary elms, oaks—no nastier than ordinary oaks—pear-trees, apple-trees, and a vine.
Howards End|E. M. Forster
She was nastier than I thought she could be, but I'm behaving like an angel.
The Spoils of Poynton|Henry James
This is something we have learned by experience, for nothing is nastier than warm root-beer.
Us and the Bottleman|Edith Ballinger Price

British Dictionary definitions for nastier

nasty

/ (ˈnɑːstɪ) /

adjective -tier or -tiest

unpleasant, offensive, or repugnant

(of an experience, condition, etc) unpleasant, dangerous, or painfula nasty wound

spiteful, abusive, or ill-natured

obscene or indecent

nasty piece of work British informal a cruel or mean person

noun plural -ties

an offensive or unpleasant person or thinga video nasty

Derived forms of nasty

nastily, adverbnastiness, noun

Word Origin for nasty

C14: origin obscure; probably related to Swedish dialect nasket and Dutch nestig dirty

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

nasty

adjective, nas·ti·er, nas·ti·est.

noun, plural nas·ties.

QUIZZES

CAN YOU ACE THIS QUIZ ABOUT “COMPLIMENT” VS. “COMPLEMENT”?

Origin of nasty

SYNONYMS FOR nasty

ANTONYMS FOR nasty

OTHER WORDS FROM nasty

Words nearby nasty

Words related to nastier

Example sentences from the Web for nastier

British Dictionary definitions for nastier

adjective -tier or -tiest

noun plural -ties

Derived forms of nasty

Word Origin for nasty