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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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 nastily

David Foster Wallace nastily imagined readers “under 40” asking about Updike, in a 1997 essay.
Writing Off Updike|Lee Siegel|February 1, 2009|DAILY BEAST
Balt said nastily, "I am astonished that you persist in bringing members of the lower orders into my home, Nadine."
Frigid Fracas|Dallas McCord Reynolds
One of them was nastily peppered about the heart with shrapnel and asked: "When shall we be shot?"
Eighteen Months in the War Zone|Kate John Finzi
I have had my passions, and once I was in love with a lady—very handsome—and I loved her nastily, like a dog.
The Live Corpse|Leo Tolstoy

"I imagine our own people will be able to look after us," she answered quite as nastily.
Through the Eye of the Needle|William Dean Howells
If I do these things just after Jackson has passed I catch it nastily, just about the rear buffers.
Punch or the London Charivari, October 20, 1920|Various

British Dictionary definitions for nastily

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