What does "nasty" mean?
Something nasty.
Nasty
/ˈnaː.sti/ adj, name, noun, slang
adj, name, noun, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Something nasty.
- Grammar: nasty is listed as adj, name, noun, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: filthy, foul, abhorrent, abhorrent.
- Useful contrasts: philanthropic, admiration, approval.
- Usage evidence: I can't stand that nasty attitude of his any longer.
How to use "nasty"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "nasty" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "nasty" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "nasty" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "nasty" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "nasty" is acting as adj, name, noun, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "filthy" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "nasty", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Something nasty. informal
"Processed foods are full of aspartame and other nasties."
- 2 Sexual intercourse. euphemistic, slang
- 3 A video nasty.
"In this way, it is hoped that the nasties will be dealt with, and the remainder regularized."
Adjective
- 1 Dirty, filthy. US
"In such condition, there is no place for Industry; because the fruit thereof is uncertain: and consequently no Culture of the Earth; no Navigation, nor use of the commodities that may be imported by Sea; no commodious Building; no Instruments of moving, and removing such things as require much force; no Knowledge of the face of the Earth; no account of Time; no Arts; no Letters; no Society; and which is worst of all, continuall feare, and danger of violent death; And the life of man, solitary, poore, nasty, brutish, and short."
- 2 Contemptible, unpleasant (of a person).
"Jonathan kept staring at him, till I was afraid he would notice. I feared he might take it ill, he looked so fierce and nasty."
- 3 Objectionable, unpleasant (of a thing); repellent, offensive.
"‘It's a nasty trade,’ said Mr. Limbkins, when Gamfield had again stated his wish."
- 4 Indecent or offensive; obscene, lewd.
"He said to Mr. Tallboy he thought the headline was a bit hot. And Mr. Tallboy said he had a nasty mind."
- 5 Spiteful, unkind.
"She had said: "I love the block button on Twitter. I don't know how people expect to send a nasty comment and not get blocked.""
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 Awkward, difficult to navigate; dangerous. UK
"There was a nasty period during the First World War when the family's allegiance was called into question - not least because one of the Schroders had been made a baron by the Kaiser."
- 7 Grave or dangerous (of an accident, illness etc.). UK
"Moving into the middle ages, William the Conqueror managed to rout the English and rule the country, then see off numerous plots and assassination attempts, before his horse did for him in a nasty fall, killing him at 60."
- 8 Formidable, terrific; wicked. US, slang
""Well," she grinned, looking hot and sexy. "They say you doing some real nasty shit in the NBA, but on the mic you a little too competitive. They say you a gaming niggah who likes to keep up all kinds of go-to-war gangsta friction between rappers. That shit must work for you though, huh? You stickin' all over the charts when other artists are failin' off. They rotating your cuts on the radio like mad too.""
Adjective
- 1 disgustingly dirty; filled or smeared with offensive matter wordnet
- 2 characterized by obscenity wordnet
- 3 exasperatingly difficult to handle or circumvent wordnet
- 4 offensive or even (of persons) malicious wordnet
Proper Noun
- 1 A hamlet in Great Munden parish, East Hertfordshire district, Hertfordshire, England (OS grid ref TL3524).
Example
"I can't stand that nasty attitude of his any longer."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "nasty"?
Common synonyms include: filthy, foul, abhorrent, abhorrent, abominable, abusive.
How do you use "nasty" in a sentence?
I can't stand that nasty attitude of his any longer.
How do you pronounce "nasty"?
Pronounced /ˈnaː.sti/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English nasty, nasti, naxty, naxte (“unclean, filthy”), whence also Early Modern English nasky (“nasty”), of obscure origin. Probably from earlier Middle English *naskty, *naskedy, from Middle English *nasked (“dirty, messy”) + -y, ultimately of North Germanic origin (comparable to Danish nasket (“dirty, foul, unpleasant”), Swedish naskot (“dirty, filthy”), Swedish naskig, naskug (“nasty, dirty, messy”)), themselves all probably related to Proto-Germanic *hnaskuz (“tender, soft”). Likely doublet of nesh and nosh. Cognate with Scots nastie, nestie (“dirty, filthy”). Alternative theories have also been proposed, which include: * From Low German nask (“nasty”) + -y. * Middle Dutch nestich, nistich ("nasty, dirty, unpleasant" > Modern Dutch nestig (“dirty, filthy, unclean; lazy, cranky”)), perhaps ultimately connected to the Scandinavian word above, or related to *nest (“nest”). * From Old French nastre (“lowly, strange”), shortened form of villenastre (“infamous, bad”), from vilein (“villain”) + -astre (pejorative suffix), from Latin -aster. * Other suggestions include Old High German naz (“wet”), hardening of English nesh(y) (“soft”), or alteration of English naughty. * Modern use of the word is sometimes attributed to the popular and often derogatory 19th century American political cartoons of Thomas Nast, but the word predates him.
Etymology 2
From Old English æt þæm eastan hæge (“at the eastern hedged enclosure”).