nasty
adjective
physically filthy; disgustingly unclean.
nasty
1 American
[nas-tee]
/ ˈnæs ti /
adjective
-
nastier,
comparative
-
nastiest
superlative
-
physically filthy; disgustingly unclean.
a nasty pigsty of a room.
- Antonyms:
- unstained, spotless, immaculate, clean
-
offensive to taste or smell; nauseating.
This ointment is really nasty—couldn't they make it smell less vile?
-
a nasty habit.
-
vicious, spiteful, or unkind.
a nasty dog;
a nasty rumor.
-
bad or hard to deal with, encounter, undergo, etc.; dangerous; serious: a nasty accident.
a nasty cut;
a nasty accident.
-
very unpleasant or disagreeable.
nasty weather.
-
morally filthy; obscene; indecent.
a nasty word.
- Synonyms:
- smutty
-
Slang. formidable: a young pitcher with a nasty slider.
the raw, nasty power of this engine;
a young pitcher with a nasty slider.
noun
-
nasties
plural
-nasty
2
American
nasty
1
British
/ ˈnɑːstɪ /
adjective
-
unpleasant, offensive, or repugnant
-
(of an experience, condition, etc) unpleasant, dangerous, or painful
a nasty wound
-
spiteful, abusive, or ill-natured
-
obscene or indecent
-
informal a cruel or mean person
noun
-nasty
2
British
combining form
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Adjectives
Etymology
Origin of nasty1
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, further origin unknown
Origin of -nasty2
Explanation
Something nasty is filthy, foul, dirty, or awful. Nasty isn't a word for anything nice. The main meaning of nasty is for things that are unpleasant and very gross. If someone throws up in class, at least one student will probably say, "That's nasty!" The smell of a bathroom is nasty. A song full of dirty words is nasty in a different way. Nasty can also mean "extremely." In football, a vicious hit can be called a nasty hit. A mean person is a nasty person too.
Vocabulary lists containing nasty
The SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words, List 7
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The New SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words
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More Negative Words to Describe a Person
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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.
See Examples For:
There’s a nasty combination of three trends leading to higher bond sales, only one of which Bessent has any ability to control.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
“Talladega Nights” pegs this missing link between America’s urban past and its exurban future from its opening seconds, putting a quote about “hot, nasty, badass speed” in the mouth of New York Swell Eleanor Roosevelt.
From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026
"It's got really nasty and for the first time in our lives, we try not to get involved in politics because it's scary," said Wackett.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
For years, doctors treated patients suffering from severe, chronic hepatitis C with an expensive drug regimen that required six to 12 months of treatment, had nasty side effects and rarely cured the disease.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 13, 2026
I know from experience that it smells way better than that nasty institutional soap.
From "Popcorn" by Rob Harrell
Our immune systems already do a fantastic job fighting viruses and other nasties.
From BBC ● Feb. 8, 2025
And keep in mind, the repellent you apply to keep mosquitoes away will also help ward off the other nasties like ticks and black flies.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 6, 2024
Think of what you step in outside: Shoes can carry all kinds of nasties, including pesticides and bacteria such as E. coli.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 15, 2024
AMR is a broad phenomenon, but simply describes when our tools defending against deadly microscopic nasties stop working.
From Salon ● Mar. 9, 2024
I looked around the band hall, sure that Rachel was going to make a bunch of bloodthirsty nasties pop out of the walls; but we were still alone.
From "The Battle of the Labyrinth" by Rick Riordan
Watch as the fluid camerawork makes her kills look nastier, and the preposterous script allows her to outwit her foes, even with the cards stacked against her at every turn.
From Salon ● Mar. 29, 2026
The nobler the cause, the nastier the graft.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 5, 2025
Before the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Sebastian Vettel was the championship leader, but events in Baku turned the fight nastier.
From BBC ● Oct. 31, 2024
L.A. is definitely changing, but watching Easy navigate its nastier vicissitudes while speaking truth to power is “Farewell, Amethystine’s” — and this enduring series’ — North Star.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 19, 2024
In those days, if you were a boy you had to wear a stiff Eton collar every day, and schools were usually nastier than now.
From "The Magician's Nephew" by C. S. Lewis
“For the writer,” she noted in an essay, “the nastiest event carries with it a little thrill like the discovery of a vein of gold: I can use this in a story.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 18, 2026
That gets my vote for the single nastiest opinion of 2025.
From Slate ● Jan. 3, 2026
He mowed through the Dodgers’ league-leading offense with triple-digit fastballs and upper-90s mph sliders, which Dodgers catcher Will Smith called the nastiest current pitch in the sport.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2025
One of the largest, priciest and nastiest proxy contests in history will come to a head on Wednesday, when Disney is scheduled to virtually host its annual shareholder meeting.
From New York Times ● Apr. 3, 2024
“Yep. Can’t say I felt particularly sorry about it because that baboon had the nastiest disposition around here.”
From "The Pigman" by Paul Zindel
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.
