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.

Nelly Korda is still number two in the world but was winless in 2025.

From BBC

Speaker Nelly Mutti initially granted Ms Lungu 14 days of compassionate leave to mourn her father and return to parliament when it resumed in September.

From BBC

World number two Nelly Korda of the United States, still seeking her first victory of the year, shared second on 200 with Thailand's Pajaree Anannarukarn after both shot 65 on Saturday.

From Barron's

Former world number one Nelly Korda is in a cluster of four players tied for fifth on nine under.

From Barron's

Jeeno leads in scoring average for the season on 68.88 strokes with world number two Nelly Korda of the United States second on 69.58.

From Barron's

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