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

Elizabeth Kelly, best known for playing busybody Nellie Ellis in EastEnders, died peacefully in Scarborough on 31 December, her agent Scott Marshall Partners said.

From BBC • Feb. 4, 2026

“And she loved to come out here and would stay just across the street at the Desert Inn, which was run by Nellie Coffman.”

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 9, 2025

She founded the Free Press with her wife, Nellie Bowles, who pens the popular “TGIF” column, a humorous take on the week’s news, as well as sister Suzy Weiss, who is a columnist.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 6, 2025

Her hand-dyed wool company, Nellie and Eve, in Carmarthenshire, west Wales, used to make about 30% of its sales to the US - but she has put them on hold.

From BBC • Aug. 29, 2025

Journalism, to Mrs. Richardson, seemed such a noble calling, one where you could do good from within the system, and in her mind she envisioned a mix of Nellie Bly and Lois Lane.

From "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng