nelly

American

[nel-ee] / ˈnɛl i /

noun

Australian Slang.

inferior or cheap wine.

nelly British

/ ˈnɛlɪ /

noun

slang (sentence substitute) not under any circumstances; certainly not

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of nelly

First recorded in 1940–45; of uncertain origin

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

That’s as fantastical of a demand as Sidney Lumet’s 1978 “The Wiz” insisting that the great diva Diana Ross’s Dorothy was a nervous nelly who’d never been south of Harlem’s 125th Street.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 18, 2025

Adding he had not been offered an opportunity to return to the BBC but that if he did his reply would be: "Not on your nelly."

From BBC • Oct. 10, 2022

But you didn’t apologize and whoa nelly you didn’t butt out.

From Seattle Times • May 24, 2018

And Neely’s nelly husband has $3 million, so there!

From Slate • Feb. 1, 2016

“Yeah man. Heah we nelly kill our fool selves runnin’ way from danger and him lay up dere and sleep and float on off!

From "Their Eyes Were Watching God" by Zora Neale Hurston

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023