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nasty

[ nas-tee ]
/ ˈnæs ti /
||
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adjective, nas·ti·er, nas·ti·est.

noun, plural nas·ties.

Informal. a nasty person or thing.

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RELATED WORDS

tough, murderous, vile, noxious, vulgar, ornery, outrageous, awful, unpleasant, icky, dirty, horrible, fierce, rough, obnoxious, ribald, unseemly, wicked, distasteful, unkind

Nearby words

  1. nast, thomas,
  2. nastase,
  3. nastic,
  4. nastic movement,
  5. nasturtium,
  6. nasus,
  7. nasute,
  8. nat,
  9. nat.,
  10. natal

Origin of nasty

1350–1400; Middle English < ?
Related formsnas·ti·ly, adverbnas·ti·ness, noun

Definition for nasty (2 of 2)

-nasty

a combining form with the meaning “nastic pressure,” of the kind or in the direction specified by the initial element: hyponasty.

Origin of -nasty

< Greek nast(ós) pressed close (see nastic) + -y3
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for nasty

British Dictionary definitions for nasty (1 of 2)

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 Formsnastily, adverbnastiness, noun

Word Origin for nasty

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

British Dictionary definitions for nasty (2 of 2)

-nasty

n combining form

indicating a nastic movement to a certain stimulusnyctinasty
Derived Forms-nastic, adj combining form

Word Origin for -nasty

from Greek nastos pressed down, close-pressed
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

Word Origin and History for nasty

nasty

adj.

c.1400, "foul, filthy, dirty, unclean," of unknown origin; perhaps [Barnhart] from Old French nastre "miserly, envious, malicious, spiteful," shortened form of villenastre "infamous, bad," from vilein "villain" + -astre, pejorative suffix, from Latin -aster.

Alternative etymology [OED] is from Dutch nestig "dirty," literally "like a bird's nest." Likely reinforced in either case by a Scandinavian source (cf. Swedish dialectal naskug "dirty, nasty"), which also might be the source of the Middle English word. Of weather, from 1630s; of things generally, "unpleasant, offensive," from 1705. Of people, "ill-tempered," from 1825. Noun meaning "something nasty" is from 1935. Related: Nastily; nastiness.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper