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nas·ty

| \ ˈna-stē

\

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 life — G. 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
\
ˈna-stə-lē

\
adverb

nastiness
\
ˈna-stē-nəs

\
noun

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.

No one intended for the watch to spend more than two days at such depths, where the pressure is 16,000 pounds per square inch—conditions that would incidentally do very nasty things to your body.

—

Jeremy White, Wired , 7 Mar. 2022

And Adam has said a lot of really negative nasty things about Trump, personally.

—

Rick Pearson, chicagotribune.com , 18 Nov. 2021

Don't say nasty things, don't make a person question themselves.

—

Joelle Goldstein, PEOPLE.com , 11 Nov. 2021

On Wednesday, about a dozen nasty emails about Schroeder's Monday ruling were put into the record of the Rittenhouse case.

—

Bruce Vielmetti, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel , 27 Oct. 2021

The behind the scenes ones, unfortunately, can be just as nasty and bitter.

—

Steve Baltin, Forbes , 10 Aug. 2022

a nasty piece of work
video nasty

a nasty piece of work
video nasty

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nas·ty

| \ ˈna-stē

\

1

: mean entry 2 sense 1

He has a nasty disposition.

2

: very unpleasant

nasty weather a nasty taste

3

: very serious : harmful

I had a nasty fall on the ice.

4

: very dirty : filthy

5

: indecent

nasty jokes

nastily
\
ˈna-stə-lē
\
adverb

nastiness
\
ˈna-stē-nəs
\
noun

tetchy
flashy
gregarious
superficial

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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

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'nasty.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback .

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
From the Editors at Merriam-Webster
Lookups for 'nasty' spiked after Trump used the word to describe Clinton
10 'Rude' Words From Old Etiquette...
“Nasty.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary , Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nasty. Accessed 6 Sep. 2022.
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As illustrated by some very smart pups
Bikini, bourbon, and badminton were places first
How to use a word that (literally) drives some pe...
Editor Emily Brewster clarifies the difference.
Roll up your sleeves and identify these garments
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© 2022 Merriam-Webster, Incorporated

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Some common synonyms of nasty are dirty , filthy , foul , and squalid . While all these words mean "conspicuously unclean or impure," nasty applies to what is actually foul or is repugnant to one expecting freshness, cleanliness, or sweetness; in practice, however, nasty is often weakened to the point of being no more than a synonym of unpleasant or disagreeable . When used figuratively, nasty implies a peculiarly offensive unpleasantness.
it's a nasty job to clean up after a sick cat
a stand-up comedian known for nasty humor
The words dirty and nasty are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, dirty emphasizes the presence of dirt more than an emotional reaction to it or, figuratively, stresses meanness or despicableness.
Although the words filthy and nasty have much in common, filthy carries a strong suggestion of offensiveness and typically of gradually accumulated dirt that begrimes and besmears. Figuratively, it can also describe disgusting obscenity.
a stained greasy floor, utterly filthy
While in some cases nearly identical to nasty , foul implies extreme offensiveness and an accumulation of what is rotten or stinking; it can also describe, for example, loathsome behavior.
In some situations, the words squalid and nasty are roughly equivalent. However, squalid adds to the idea of dirtiness and filth that of slovenly neglect. Distinctively, its figurative use implies sordidness as well as baseness and dirtiness.
engaged in a series of squalid affairs
From the Editors at Merriam-Webster
Lookups for 'nasty' spiked after Trump used the word to describe Clinton
10 'Rude' Words From Old Etiquette...
“Nasty.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus , Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nasty. Accessed 6 Sep. 2022.
Test your visual vocabulary with our 10-question challenge!
A daily challenge for crossword fanatics.
Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!
As illustrated by some very smart pups
Bikini, bourbon, and badminton were places first
How to use a word that (literally) drives some pe...
Editor Emily Brewster clarifies the difference.
Roll up your sleeves and identify these garments
Test your visual vocabulary with our 10-question ...
Can you outdo past winners of the National Spelli...
Learn a new word every day. Delivered to your inbox!
© 2022 Merriam-Webster, Incorporated

Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.
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You have to be infallible, and if you’re not, people will have a lot of nasty things to say.
So far no one has been hurt, but chlorine fumes can be nasty so locals are advised to stay inside their homes.
It’s also grown nastier as both Hagerty and Sethi try to one-up each other in proving their conservative bona fides.
Though it sounds a bit nasty , winds can blow fungi and mold spores like a thick cloud.
Whether that’s the intent of the medication doesn’t mean it won’t be a nasty side effect.
But the nasty part of the whole thing was, that Haggard had won eleven thousand pounds from a weak-headed boy.
But 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.
You pouted and sulked, and had a great fight with nurse, for bringing a nasty boy into the house.
I'm a nasty cross old thing before lunch, Mr. Wentworth, so I don't come down till afterwards nowadays.
abrasive adjective irritating in manner
acid adjective bitter in words or behavior
Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.
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