nasty

adjective

nas·​ty ˈna-stē How to pronounce nasty (audio)
nastier; nastiest
1
a
: disgustingly filthy
nasty living conditions
b
: physically repugnant
a nasty taste
2
: indecent, obscene
nasty language
3
: mean, tawdry
living a cheap and nasty lifeG. B. Shaw
4
a
: extremely hazardous (see hazardous sense 1) or harmful
a nasty undertow
b
: causing severe pain or suffering
a nasty wound
a nasty fall
c
: sharply unpleasant : disagreeable
nasty weather
5
a
: difficult to understand or deal with
a nasty problem
a nasty curveball
b
: psychologically unsettling : trying
a nasty fear that she was lost
6
: lacking in courtesy or sportsmanship
a nasty trick
nastily adverb
nastiness noun
nasty noun
Choose the Right Synonym for nasty

dirty, filthy, foul, nasty, squalid mean conspicuously unclean or impure.

dirty emphasizes the presence of dirt more than an emotional reaction to it.

a dirty littered street

filthy carries a strong suggestion of offensiveness and typically of gradually accumulated dirt that begrimes and besmears.

a stained greasy floor, utterly filthy

foul implies extreme offensiveness and an accumulation of what is rotten or stinking.

a foul-smelling open sewer

nasty applies to what is actually foul or is repugnant to one expecting freshness, cleanliness, or sweetness.

it's a nasty job to clean up after a sick cat

In practice, nasty is often weakened to the point of being no more than a synonym of unpleasant or disagreeable.

had a nasty fall
his answer gave her a nasty shock

squalid adds to the idea of dirtiness and filth that of slovenly neglect.

squalid slums

All these terms are also applicable to moral uncleanness or baseness or obscenity.

dirty then stresses meanness or despicableness

don't ask me to do your dirty work

, while filthy and foul describe disgusting obscenity or loathsome behavior

filthy street language
a foul story of lust and greed

, and nasty implies a peculiarly offensive unpleasantness.

a stand-up comedian known for nasty humor

Distinctively, squalid implies sordidness as well as baseness and dirtiness.

engaged in a series of squalid affairs

Examples of nasty in a Sentence

She has a nasty habit of biting her fingernails. The medicine left a nasty taste in my mouth. That nasty old man yelled at me just for stepping on his lawn! He sent a nasty letter to the company. She's got quite a nasty temper. He said lots of downright nasty things about her. She called him a few nasty names and left.
Recent Examples on the Web For a nasty cut, Lopez is in good spirits, now laughing and winking with the nurses. Toby Muse, Rolling Stone, 3 Mar. 2024 The snails release schistosomiasis larvae, which can penetrate the skin of any human swimming or bathing in contaminated water and trigger all sorts of nasty health problems (including, rarely but often enough, death). Cody Cottier, Discover Magazine, 29 Feb. 2024 The last time China and the Soviet Union signed a friendship treaty, the two countries were, within twenty years, embroiled in a nasty border conflict. Craig Hooper, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 In 2024, the G.O.P. appears set to avert nasty primaries in several states, including Montana, Pennsylvania and Nevada. Shane Goldmacher, New York Times, 28 Feb. 2024 Measles is a nasty infection, involving an itchy, total body rash. Helen Branswell, STAT, 22 Feb. 2024 Virtually every observer expected a nasty recession. Rachel Siegel, Washington Post, 20 Feb. 2024 Particularly in later episodes, when the dynamic between Malcolm X and his mentor sours and the civil rights leader eventually steps down from the Nation of Islam amid nasty accusations, Jones shows a treacherous side which audiences haven’t seen from him before. Jack Smart, Peoplemag, 21 Feb. 2024 By swerving past a theatrical release in Germany, the streamer may have avoided a nasty pile-up. Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'nasty.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of nasty was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near nasty

Cite this Entry

“Nasty.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nasty. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

nasty

adjective
nas·​ty ˈnas-tē How to pronounce nasty (audio)
nastier; nastiest
1
: very dirty or foul : filthy
2
: morally disgusting or degrading
3
: disagreeable sense 1, unpleasant
nasty weather
4
: spiteful, ill-natured
a nasty temper
a nasty trick
5
: harmful, dangerous
a nasty fall on the ice
nastily adverb
nastiness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on nasty

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