nasty

¹

[nas-tee]

adjective

nastier, nastiest 

1. physically filthy; disgustingly unclean.

   a nasty pigsty of a room.

   Synonyms: grimy, foul, dirty
   Antonyms: unstained, spotless, immaculate, clean

2. offensive to taste or smell; nauseating.

   This ointment is really nasty—couldn't they make it smell less vile?

   Synonyms: ugly, catty, bitchy, malevolent, malicious, mean, repellent, repulsive, sickening

3. offensive; objectionable.

   a nasty habit.

4. vicious, spiteful, or unkind.

   a nasty dog;

   a nasty rumor.

5. bad or hard to deal with, encounter, undergo, etc.; dangerous; serious: a nasty accident.

   a nasty cut;

   a nasty accident.

6. very unpleasant or disagreeable.

   nasty weather.

   Synonyms: inclement, stormy

7. morally filthy; obscene; indecent.

   a nasty word.

   Synonyms: smutty

8. Slang.,  formidable: a young pitcher with a nasty slider.

   the raw, nasty power of this engine;

   a young pitcher with a nasty slider.

noun

plural

nasties 

1. Informal.,  a nasty person or thing.

-nasty

²

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

   hyponasty.

nasty

¹

/ ˈnɑːstɪ /

adjective

1. unpleasant, offensive, or repugnant

2. (of an experience, condition, etc) unpleasant, dangerous, or painful

   a nasty wound

3. spiteful, abusive, or ill-natured

4. obscene or indecent

5. informal,  a cruel or mean person

noun

1. an offensive or unpleasant person or thing

   a video nasty

-nasty

²

combining form

1. indicating a nastic movement to a certain stimulus

   nyctinasty

Other Word Forms

• nastily adverb
• nastiness noun
• -nastic combining form

Word History and Origins

Origin of nasty¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, further origin unknown

Origin of nasty²

< Greek nast ( ós ) pressed close ( nastic ) + -y ³

Word History and Origins

Origin of nasty¹

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

Origin of nasty²

from Greek nastos pressed down, close-pressed

Example Sentences

Derry is a town supported by blue-collar factory jobs that come with the risk of nasty industrial accidents.

Read more on Salon

Rival hip-hop magazines the Source and XXL are locked in an increasingly ugly feud that has reared its head in advertising boycotts, on rap records, and in nasty, over-the-top gangsta editorial slams against one another.

Read more on Salon

He has largely steered clear of the aggressive tactics often associated with fellow activists like Carl Icahn and Bill Ackman, who in their heyday as activists often penned and publicized nasty letters to executives.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

A coming together of these tendencies has given rise to the nastiest surprise of his global policy—his ill treatment of India.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Like the nasty seductress of “Dangerous Liaisons,” she’s a warning that frustrated women aren’t merely a hazard to themselves — they’re a menace to the society that made them.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• awful 
• dirty 
• fierce 
• horrible 
• icky 
• murderous 
• noxious 
• obnoxious 
• ornery 
• outrageous 
• rough 
• tough 
• unpleasant 
• vile 
• vulgar