nasty

NAS-tee/ˈnæs.ti/SayNAH-steeUK/ˈnɑː.sti/AUS/ˈnaː.sti/

Noun pluralnasties

11 meanings of nasty

1
adjective
Very unpleasant or disgusting to deal with.
Like a smell so bad you want to leave the room.
There was a nasty smell coming from the drain.
The medicine left a nasty taste in her mouth.
Similarunpleasant, foul, horrible, disgusting, vile
Oppositepleasant, nice, agreeable
2
adjective
Mean and unkind to others on purpose.
Like saying something just to hurt someone's feelings.
She made a nasty comment about his clothes.
It was nasty of him to laugh at her mistake.
Similarspiteful, mean, unkind, malicious, vicious
Oppositekind, nice, friendly
3
adjective
Unpleasant and hard to like as a person.
Like a person nobody wants to be around.
Their landlord was a nasty man who shouted at everyone.
He can be really nasty when he doesn't get his way.
Similarhorrible, unpleasant, mean, vile, despicable
Oppositenice, pleasant, kind
4
adjectiveUS
Very dirty or covered in something disgusting.
Like socks you've worn for a week without washing.
Take off those nasty shoes before you come inside.
The kitchen was so nasty that no one wanted to cook.
Similarfilthy, dirty, disgusting, grimy, foul
Oppositeclean
Note
5
adjective
Rude in a sexual way, and not decent.
Like a joke too rude to say in front of your grandma.
He told a nasty joke that made everyone uncomfortable.
The movie had some nasty scenes we skipped.
Similardirty, lewd, obscene, smutty, filthy
Oppositeclean, decent
Note
6
adjectiveUK
Serious and dangerous, like a bad injury or illness.
Like a cut deep enough to need stitches.
He took a nasty fall down the stairs.
She caught a nasty bug and stayed in bed for a week.
Similarserious, bad, severe, grave
Oppositeminor, mild, slight
Note
7
adjectiveUK
Hard to get through or deal with safely.
Like a sharp turn that's hard to drive around.
That's a nasty bend in the road.
The boat hit some nasty waves near the rocks.
Similardangerous, treacherous, tricky, awkward, hazardous
Oppositesafe, easy
Note
8
adjectiveslangUS
Really good or impressive, in a way that surprises people.
Like a move so good your friends shout in surprise.
That guitarist has some nasty skills.
She threw a nasty curveball that no one could hit.
Similarfilthy, sick, wicked
Note
9
nounslangeuphemistic
A joking slang way of saying sex, always used with "the".
They finally did the nasty after months of flirting.
He kept hinting that he wanted to do the nasty.
Note
10
nouncolloquialcountable
A thing that is unpleasant or bad.
Like a bug you find hiding under a rock.
There's a nasty lurking in the back of the fridge.
The report uncovered a few nasties no one expected.
Note
11
nouncountable
A violent or scary film that many people think is too shocking.
Like a horror movie so scary it gets banned.
The store refused to stock that nasty.
His collection of old nasties filled three shelves.
Note

Practice

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Origin

From Middle English nasty, meaning "unclean" or "filthy." Its exact origin is unclear, but it is probably from a North Germanic source.