nasty
physically filthy; disgustingly unclean: a nasty pigsty of a room.
offensive to taste or smell; nauseating: This ointment is really nasty—couldn't they make it smell less vile?
offensive; objectionable: a nasty habit.
vicious, spiteful, or unkind: a nasty dog;a nasty rumor.
bad or hard to deal with, encounter, undergo, etc.; dangerous; serious: a nasty cut;a nasty accident.
very unpleasant or disagreeable: nasty weather.
Slang. formidable: the raw, nasty power of this engine;a young pitcher with a nasty slider.
Informal. a nasty person or thing.
Origin of nasty
1Other words for nasty
Opposites for nasty
1 | clean, immaculate, spotless, unstained, unsoiled |
Other words from nasty
- nas·ti·ly, adverb
- nas·ti·ness, noun
Words Nearby nasty
Other definitions for -nasty (2 of 2)
a combining form with the meaning “nastic pressure,” of the kind or in the direction specified by the initial element: hyponasty.
Origin of -nasty
2Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use nasty in a sentence
You have to be infallible, and if you’re not, people will have a lot of nasty things to say.
Tan France Goes Deep on Racism and When He Almost Quit ‘Queer Eye’ | Eugene Robinson | September 3, 2020 | OzySo far no one has been hurt, but chlorine fumes can be nasty so locals are advised to stay inside their homes.
Hurricane Laura is the strongest storm to hit Louisiana in more than a century | Sara Chodosh | August 28, 2020 | Popular-ScienceIt’s also grown nastier as both Hagerty and Sethi try to one-up each other in proving their conservative bona fides.
What To Watch For In Tennessee’s Primary | Geoffrey Skelley (geoffrey.skelley@abc.com) | August 6, 2020 | FiveThirtyEightThough it sounds a bit nasty, winds can blow fungi and mold spores like a thick cloud.
Explainer: Rainbows, fogbows and their eerie cousins | Matthew Cappucci | May 1, 2020 | Science News For StudentsWhether that’s the intent of the medication doesn’t mean it won’t be a nasty side effect.
An aerial image shows what appears to be a spa, roiling water apparently carrying no nasty connotations.
The Luxury Homes That Torture and Your Tax Dollars Built | Michael Daly | December 12, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTIt may not be a story the Vatican wants told, but such nasty behavior is also a part of the Renaissance.
No one needs to be reminded that the men in charge in Damascus and Tehran are really nasty guys.
There’s Only One Way to Beat ISIS: Work With Assad and Iran | Leslie H. Gelb | October 18, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTSo is Sam Lutfi a legitimate manager or just a nasty opportunist?
Sam Lutfi Is Young Hollywood’s Most Infamous Svengali | Amy Zimmerman | October 17, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTUse him as the poster child for a nasty, devilish lobbying group being the de facto fourth branch of government.
But the nasty part of the whole thing was, that Haggard had won eleven thousand pounds from a weak-headed boy.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3) | Charles James WillsBut if people will insist on patting a strange poet, they mustn't be surprised if they get a nasty bite!
The nasty scandal at the Pandemonium had been particularly irritating to Haggard personally.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3) | Charles James WillsYou pouted and sulked, and had a great fight with nurse, for bringing a nasty boy into the house.
The World Before Them | Susanna MoodieI'm a nasty cross old thing before lunch, Mr. Wentworth, so I don't come down till afterwards nowadays.
First Plays | A. A. Milne
British Dictionary definitions for nasty (1 of 2)
/ (ˈnɑːstɪ) /
unpleasant, offensive, or repugnant
(of an experience, condition, etc) unpleasant, dangerous, or painful: a nasty wound
spiteful, abusive, or ill-natured
obscene or indecent
nasty piece of work British informal a cruel or mean person
an offensive or unpleasant person or thing: a video nasty
Origin of nasty
1Derived forms of nasty
- nastily, adverb
- nastiness, noun
British Dictionary definitions for -nasty (2 of 2)
indicating a nastic movement to a certain stimulus: nyctinasty
Origin of -nasty
2Derived forms of -nasty
- -nastic, adj combining form
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
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