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.

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Nellie Idioms  

1. see nervous nellie.

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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

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

Nellie Kottler, from the estate, said the team had been "utterly staggered" by the discovery.

From BBC ● Mar. 24, 2026

Viktor and Nellie Anisovets bought a newly built home in Sacramento, Calif., in September.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 19, 2025

So they all went outside, Lucy and Bull and Nellie and Lawrence and Bryce and Abilene and Edward.

From "The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane" by Kate DiCamillo