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
Players like Wembanyama and Castle have embodied a blend of nastiness and dedication that resembles the past and shapes the future.
—
Jared Weiss, New York Times, 3 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
The inherent nastiness of Over Your Dead Body will likely keep it from being anything but another cultish object in Taccone’s interesting career.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 27 Apr. 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
At least until all hell breaks loose in a kinetic movie that revels in its unrelenting nastiness.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 16 Apr. 2026
In this moment when fine dining is being roiled by toxic behavior, Nancy’s eight restaurants offer proof that nastiness is no recipe for success.
—Ruth Reichl, Time, 15 Apr. 2026
The potential nastiness of this year’s race has led others to be cautious about tossing their hat into the ring.
—Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald, 8 Apr. 2026
Jared Weiss, New York Times, 3 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
The inherent nastiness of Over Your Dead Body will likely keep it from being anything but another cultish object in Taccone’s interesting career.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 27 Apr. 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
At least until all hell breaks loose in a kinetic movie that revels in its unrelenting nastiness.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 16 Apr. 2026
In this moment when fine dining is being roiled by toxic behavior, Nancy’s eight restaurants offer proof that nastiness is no recipe for success.
—Ruth Reichl, Time, 15 Apr. 2026
The potential nastiness of this year’s race has led others to be cautious about tossing their hat into the ring.
—Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald, 8 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nastiness
Noun
-
Jurors decided that Grossman also acted with malice and oppression and Erickson acted with malice, oppression, or fraud.—
Richard Winton,
Los Angeles Times,
4 June 2026
-
The jury also found that Grossman and Erickson acted with malice, potentially triggering a punitive damages phase of trial that could result in further penalties.—
Julie Sharp,
CBS News,
3 June 2026
Noun
-
There are no great surprises from here on out, though the sheer, lusty grossness of the fallout is occasionally startling.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
16 Apr. 2026
-
If an exclamation point only signified gore and grossness, this gothic rock opera would more than qualify.—
Rachel Simon,
Vulture,
6 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Even after a jellyfish dies, its tentacles can continue to release venom through microscopic stinging cells.—
Jessica Safavimehr,
Southern Living,
3 June 2026
-
The snake's venom is highly toxic, but its small size reduces the risk of a fatal bite.—
Jack Armstrong,
Memphis Commercial Appeal,
3 June 2026
Noun
-
Nestled between the layers is a genuinely heartfelt story that blooms from beneath all the aesthetic and verbal vulgarity, thus making innate, and intuitive, his ongoing, ever-evolving manifesto on the state of things.—
Siddhant Adlakha,
IndieWire,
16 May 2026
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In addition, prosecutors say swastikas, antisemitic slogans and vulgarity were spray-painted on pillars underneath M-53 and Canal, a brick wall near a business and an electrical box at a second business.—
Joseph Buczek,
CBS News,
22 Apr. 2026
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
-
Monday showed why the Middle East’s generational hatreds are so often treacherous for American presidents.—
Kevin Liptak,
CNN Money,
2 June 2026
-
More deeply, San Diego’s Muslims have been puzzling over the roots of the hatred that sent two young men into a holy place with the intent to commit mass murder.—
Roxana Popescu,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
30 May 2026
Noun
-
To further prevent obvious staining, choose darker flooring that won't show mud and dirt as easily.—
Claire Hoppe Norgaard,
Better Homes & Gardens,
6 June 2026
-
Each of the 22 rays is represented in the primary somatosensory cortex by a distinct morphological module — a stripe of tissue identifiable under cytochrome oxidase staining, arranged in a pattern that mirrors the star’s geometry.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes.com,
20 May 2026
Noun
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Nothing that reflects the sheer abjection of the murderous dog pounds of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries or the many individual cruelties visited upon dogs.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 June 2026
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There are allegories that can be read about fear of the unknown breeding cruelty and exploitation, but Disclosure Day is first and foremost a propulsive yarn with thematic roots in hope, truth, empathy and perhaps even spirituality.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
9 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Nastiness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nastiness. Accessed 10 Jun. 2026.
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