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:
It was like "witnessing something that is literally out of a movie", said Johnson, adding it was a miracle he was unscathed except for "some really nasty tinnitus".
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
Momentum investing has paid huge dividends over time, and it is strongly endorsed by academic research, but the returns can be lumpy — you will occasionally get a very nasty spell of underperformance.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 22, 2026
Instead of going home that night, Wilber found himself back in bed 23 of the detention center — his bond denied — trying to ignore a nasty odor permeating his 14-person cell.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026
A nasty spat over a huge collection of allegedly stolen Star Wars Lego sets has turned this quiet suburb upside down.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026
“She’s a nasty so-and-so. I heard her parents talking to Miss Watson. They’re all mean.”
From "Root Magic" by Eden Royce
He loves all disfigured nasties, be they swamp creatures, eyeball-less ogres or bolt-headed Hellboys.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2025
Our immune systems already do a fantastic job fighting viruses and other nasties.
From BBC ● Feb. 8, 2025
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
Some could get nastier surprises if the U.S.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
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
All but two expect a busier, nastier summer and fall for hurricanes.
From Seattle Times ● May 23, 2024
It turned out to be much nastier than any of Mate’s!
From "In the Time of the Butterflies" by Julia Alvarez
Even Leo Stein, the American expatriate proponent of avant-garde art, called it “brilliant and powerful, but the nastiest smear of paint I had ever seen.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 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
He told called the question “nasty” and told the reporter, “don’t ever say what you said,” because “that’s a nasty question. To me, that’s the nastiest question.”
From Slate ● May 31, 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
Gene puts his hands on his hips and smiles up at me with the nastiest smile ever.
From "Popcorn" by Rob Harrell
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.
