nasty

adjective

ˈna-stē How to pronounce nasty (audio)
Definition of nastynext
1
as in dirty
arousing or deserving of one's loathing and disgust fortunately, the story's nasty characters are balanced by some truly good people

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2
as in ugly
causing intense displeasure, disgust, or resentment a nasty horror movie that was so violent that I could hardly watch the opening scenes

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3
as in painful
causing or feeling bodily pain a nasty cut on my lip

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4
as in obscene
depicting or referring to sexual matters in a way that is unacceptable in polite society nasty magazines that are not sold to minors

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5
as in malicious
having or showing a desire to cause someone pain or suffering for the sheer enjoyment of it nasty comments that trolls left on the website

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6
as in turbulent
marked by wet and windy conditions bring your raincoat, as the weather's supposed to be nasty

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7
as in filthy
not clean it's incredibly nasty inside that garbage bin, so stay away from there

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8
as in unpleasant
not giving pleasure to the mind or senses the smell of those old leftovers is downright nasty

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9
as in unsettling
causing worry or anxiety she had the nasty sense that she'd made a mistake somewhere

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10
as in foul
not being in accordance with the rules or standards of what is fair in sport a nasty hit got the hockey player suspended

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11
as in vile
not following or in accordance with standards of honor and decency that was a nasty trick to play on people who were so trusting

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12
as in difficult
requiring exceptional skill or caution in performance or handling given the high-ranking people involved, it will be a nasty job to hammer out a compromise

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Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective nasty differ from other similar words?

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
had a nasty fall
his answer gave her a nasty shock
a stand-up comedian known for nasty humor

When is dirty a more appropriate choice than nasty?

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.

a dirty littered street
don't ask me to do your dirty work

When could filthy be used to replace nasty?

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
filthy street language

When would foul be a good substitute for nasty?

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.

a foul-smelling open sewer
a foul story of lust and greed

When might squalid be a better fit than nasty?

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.

squalid slums
engaged in a series of squalid affairs

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of nasty William Lustig’s nasty piece of work is an ’80s grindhouse treasure enhanced by Tom Savini’s show-stopping gore effects (the special-effects maestro also appears as one of the victims). —Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 9 June 2026 Every election seems to get nastier, even here, locally. —Haven Shoemaker, Baltimore Sun, 9 June 2026 And his influence is felt in South Carolina, a staunchly conservative state where the party's nomination almost ensures a win in the general election and GOP primaries have a long history of being nasty competitions. —Phillip M. Bailey, USA Today, 8 June 2026 The hail of insults pouring from the Cubs dugout grew louder and nastier. —Literary Hub, 8 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for nasty
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nasty
  1. dirty
  2. ugly
  3. painful
  4. obscene
  5. malicious
  6. turbulent
  7. filthy
  8. unpleasant
Adjective
  • There are two freezer martini variations – one with vodka, served dirty and another with gin and a lemon twist.
    — Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 June 2026
  • Wet bathing suits and dirty clothes need somewhere to go once your kid has changed into something dry and clean.
    — Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 16 June 2026
Definition of dirty
Adjective
  • From Valentino pig hoofs to Chanel half-sandals, our feeds are full of silly, outrageous and outright ugly footwear.
    — Shane O’Neill, Washington Post, 12 June 2026
  • Still, the settlement agreement bars either side from appealing Liman’s ruling, potentially drawing one of Hollywood’s ugliest recent legal fights to a close.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 12 June 2026
Definition of ugly
Adjective
  • The core characters Each character came into their own during the series, sometimes in emotionally painful ways.
    — Pat Saperstein, Variety, 14 June 2026
  • Hidden inside those numbers is a long and painful history.
    — Ryan Lenora Brown, NPR, 14 June 2026
Definition of painful
Adjective
  • Friis Bach, who was then chairman of the Folketing’s secretive Foreign Policy Committee, was asked in early January to begin considering the obscene logistics of a mass evacuation of Greenland.
    — Joshua Hunt, Vanity Fair, 17 June 2026
  • The amount of money spent on election campaigns is absolutely obscene.
    — U T Readers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 June 2026
Definition of obscene
Adjective
  • Tech companies are developing tools and collaborating, yet voluntary efforts struggle against sophisticated malicious actors.
    — Richard Fowler, Forbes.com, 18 June 2026
  • For cybersecurity companies, identifying a digital agent crawling a website used to be enough evidence of malicious activity.
    — Rachyl Jones, semafor.com, 17 June 2026
Definition of malicious
Adjective
  • The discovery is so surprising because even though AGNs are rich with gas and dust — the building blocks of planets — the turbulent conditions within the disks wouldn't generally be considered ideal for forming planets.
    — Robert Lea, Space.com, 14 June 2026
  • The weekend’s severe weather follows a turbulent stretch earlier this week, when severe weather placed 13 million people under flood watches and triggered widespread power outages.
    — Christine Rapp, NBC news, 13 June 2026
Definition of turbulent
Adjective
  • But, the freedom loving sane people of this great country came to Karoline's defense to show support, destroy the filthy LIBS and celebrate the greatest press secretary this country has ever employed.
    — Joe Kinsey OutKick, FOXNews.com, 16 June 2026
  • Fans fought in the streets, heaved bottles, smashed windows and shouted filthy insults in the melee, which left nearly 50 people injured.
    — AJ Willingham, AJC.com, 15 June 2026
Definition of filthy
Adjective
  • Residents who have discussed the issue online described the smell as one of the most unpleasant aspects of the ongoing seaweed buildup.
    — Kelly McGreal, FOXNews.com, 13 June 2026
  • The figure-skimming silhouette also prevents the unpleasant feeling of sweating in too-tight clothes.
    — Sophie Dodd, Travel + Leisure, 12 June 2026
Definition of unpleasant

Browse Nearby Words

nastiness
nasty
natch
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Cite this Entry

“Nasty.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nasty. Accessed 19 Jun. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of nasty for Spanish Speakers

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