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
No wonder a little nastiness surfaced at the fair when the Senate candidates took reporters’ questions.
—
Laura Washington, Chicago Tribune, 20 Aug. 2025
Laura Washington, Chicago Tribune, 20 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nastiness
Noun
-
Howard sells his smug malice, digging into Matt in a way no one has before until the whole thing devolves into a physical fight.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
5 Sep. 2025
-
Smith said Hawthorne committed murder because his actions showed malice.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
2 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Brain rot has become unavoidable, its grossness ubiquitous.—
Kyle Chayka,
New Yorker,
20 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Victims of a snake bite are advised not to try to remove the venom themselves or to tie off the bite area.—
Latoya Gayle,
PEOPLE,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Wolf spider bites are not poisonous and won't cause sores or body-wide symptoms from its venom.—
Carrie Madormo,
Health,
6 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The sour stench of the carcasses was a vulgarity almost too great to bear.—
Nathaniel Rich,
Harpers Magazine,
20 Aug. 2025
-
Action rocks as Season 2 leans more into DCU absurdity and vulgarity.—
James Brizuela,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
An earnest, has-a-costume-for-everything kind of guy, Daub is allergic to the greige and the dinge.—
Sandra Upson,
Wired,
18 Jan. 2021
-
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.—
Michael Nedelman,
CNN,
1 June 2017
Noun
-
Rivalries that are long in tenure and thick with hatred define college sports in the Deep South, where football is second only to faith in some places.—
Quentin Corpuel,
Kansas City Star,
6 Sep. 2025
-
Examples abound of men with histories of misogyny – often expressed online – who go on to commit violent crimes in the name of their hatred.—
Will Carless,
USA Today,
3 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
This will avoid causing damage to the sealant and potential staining.—
Patricia Shannon,
Southern Living,
9 Sep. 2025
-
Critically, the ancient teeth from betel nut chewers are distinguishable because of red staining.—
Elizabeth Rayne,
ArsTechnica,
19 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Vasquez was charged with second-degree cruelty to juveniles and negligent homicide.—
Angel Saunders,
People.com,
9 Sep. 2025
-
But that tale of someone brought into a world that treated him with cruelty and contempt never left him.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
9 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Nastiness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nastiness. Accessed 12 Sep. 2025.
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