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

In 1993, Kelly joined the cast of EastEnders as Nellie Ellis - the sharp-tongued relative of Pauline Fowler.

From BBC • Feb. 4, 2026

It includes a wordless soprano in tribute to Nellie Melba, the Australian soprano.

From BBC • Oct. 18, 2025

Weiss founded the Free Press with her wife, Nellie Bowles, who writes the humorous “TGIF” column, and with whom Weiss has 1- and 3-year-old children.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 6, 2025

Rep. Nellie Pou of New Jersey, the top Democrat on the Congressional Task Force for Enhancing Security for Special Events, held a public hearing last month on preparing for the World Cup and Olympics.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 2, 2025

But now, the stories Nellie told struck him as the most important thing in the world and he listened as if his life depended on what she said.

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