Nellie

American  

[nel-ee] / ˈnɛl i /

Or Nelly

noun

1. a female given name, form of Helen.

2. (often lowercase)

   1. Offensive. a fussily effeminate male.

   2. Extremely Disparaging and Offensive. a contemptuous term used to refer to a gay man.

---

Nellie Idioms  

1. see nervous nellie.

---

Etymology

Origin of Nellie

First recorded in 1930–35 Nellie for def. 2

---

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Nellie

Nellie Strandberg, a 16-year-old Brinell student, said she was on her way to the school's library when the assailant entered the institution.

From Barron's ● Aug. 22, 2026

Barton let him in on a less popular trip that involved a great swimming hole, fish tacos at Whoa Nellie Deli, an adventure around Mono Lake and a drive through a stunning mountain pass.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026

Season 2 will take them to the banks of Plum Creek, near Walnut Grove, Minn., and into the orbit of one Nellie Oleson, who will be played by Willa Dunn.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026

The most captivating sidebar introduces Nellie Williams, the young upstate New Yorker whose disabled father won a printing press in a poker game.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026

Where would Nellie DuMont Frissé be if she and the whole space program didn’t aim as high as they possibly could?

From "Shine!" by J.J. and Chris Grabenstein

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---