1
as in malice
the desire to cause pain for the satisfaction of doing harm
there was a natural nastiness about him that was evident from the time he was a small child
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in grossness
the quality or state of being obscene
the nastiness of the graffiti required that the school remove it immediately
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in dustiness
the state or quality of being dirty
the piles of rotting food in the kitchen were only one element in the apartment's general impression of appalling nastiness
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of nastiness
The bullpen ranks 30th in FanGraphs’ Stuff+ metric, which more or less measures the nastiness of a pitcher’s arsenal.
—
Spencer Nusbaum,
New York Times,
24 June 2026
Just as surprising as all of the nastiness is the turn that happens mid-movie.
—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
17 June 2026
The source material is occasionally witty and obsessive, but also carries a tone of unremitting nastiness.
—
Declan Gallagher,
Entertainment Weekly,
9 June 2026
Over the last three local election cycles, the nastiness has come from some interloper.
—
Haven Shoemaker,
Baltimore Sun,
9 June 2026
Now that we’re retired, most of our trips are during off-peak hours, and the experience is too often very unpleasant either because of nastiness of one kind or another or delays.
—
Chicago Tribune,
8 June 2026
Instead, Pratt is doubling down on his anti-homelessness nastiness as more and more people join his crusade.
—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
30 May 2026
The opening moments of this penultimate episode evoke enough genuine idealism and hope to feel like a rare breath of fresh air, holding the hermetic nastiness of the series in sharp relief.
—
Scott Tobias,
Vulture,
17 May 2026
At a time when Hafley and general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan have engaged in a culture change in Miami Gardens, Bain can help bring a nastiness to the defense.
—
Miami Herald,
22 Apr. 2026
Spencer Nusbaum,
New York Times,
24 June 2026
Just as surprising as all of the nastiness is the turn that happens mid-movie.
—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
17 June 2026
The source material is occasionally witty and obsessive, but also carries a tone of unremitting nastiness.
—
Declan Gallagher,
Entertainment Weekly,
9 June 2026
Over the last three local election cycles, the nastiness has come from some interloper.
—
Haven Shoemaker,
Baltimore Sun,
9 June 2026
Now that we’re retired, most of our trips are during off-peak hours, and the experience is too often very unpleasant either because of nastiness of one kind or another or delays.
—
Chicago Tribune,
8 June 2026
Instead, Pratt is doubling down on his anti-homelessness nastiness as more and more people join his crusade.
—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
30 May 2026
The opening moments of this penultimate episode evoke enough genuine idealism and hope to feel like a rare breath of fresh air, holding the hermetic nastiness of the series in sharp relief.
—
Scott Tobias,
Vulture,
17 May 2026
At a time when Hafley and general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan have engaged in a culture change in Miami Gardens, Bain can help bring a nastiness to the defense.
—
Miami Herald,
22 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nastiness
Noun
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Although Ashley had alleged things like malice, ill-will and improper motives by Adam, that still fell short of proving that Adam knew that his statements were false.
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The documentary explores the dark web of fraud, deception and malice that led Parker to feign a pregnancy to try to bolster her relationship with boyfriend Wade Griffin — and when her fake due date passed, kill Hancock for her baby, Braxlynn Sage.
Noun
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All your Dad has to do is fill it and drink—the microfilter membrane will do the rest by removing chlorine odors, dirt, bacteria, and any other grossness floating around in there.
-
There are no great surprises from here on out, though the sheer, lusty grossness of the fallout is occasionally startling.
Noun
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An earnest, has-a-costume-for-everything kind of guy, Daub is allergic to the greige and the dinge.
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Dinges said the two crewmembers whose sleep remained steady -- even in the absence of conventional daylight -- were those who kept to a strict schedule and found other ways to control their biological clocks.
Noun
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One common misconception is that lionfish are inedible because of their venom.
-
Allergic reactions and anaphylaxis have been reported in patients using bee venom therapy.
Noun
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Benoit delights in language as much as her heroine, weaving Regency-era slang throughout and appending a chapter-by-chapter glossary of vulgarities.
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On Monday night, that park seemed so far away as Knicks fans rained vulgarities down on Wembanyama and his teammates inside Madison Square Garden.
Noun
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However, if the staining is heavy or set-in, use 1/4 cup of powder per gallon of water.
-
To further prevent obvious staining, choose darker flooring that won't show mud and dirt as easily.
Noun
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Disciples of this extremist hatred are running for office and winning in select primaries.
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But to the man himself, comedy is—like life—first and foremost about hatred of death.
Noun
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There’s some rudeness, aggressive conversations, and crudeness, but nothing too over the top.
Cite this Entry
“Nastiness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nastiness. Accessed 1 Jul. 2026.
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