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
Relevance
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2
as in grossness
the quality or state of being obscene
the nastiness of the graffiti required that the school remove it immediately
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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
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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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Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of nastiness
Chicago Tribune, 19 June 2025
First, Iran could go nasty but narrow, striking back against Israel but avoiding U.S. bases or other regional targets.
—Hal Brands, Twin Cities, 16 June 2025
Some of you seem to think a keyboard and social media give you a free pass to be nasty and accusatory.
—Adeola Adeosun, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 June 2025
And some erratic vibrations were detected at points last week as the stark outperformance of year-to-date laggards over the top 2025 performers prompted some comparisons to the nasty momentum-stock reversal of February and March that upset the market well before the tariff panic.
—Michael Santoli, CNBC, 14 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for nastiness
Adjective
These factors would combine for a nasty increase in energy prices.
—Chicago Tribune, 19 June 2025
First, Iran could go nasty but narrow, striking back against Israel but avoiding U.S. bases or other regional targets.
—Hal Brands, Twin Cities, 16 June 2025
Some of you seem to think a keyboard and social media give you a free pass to be nasty and accusatory.
—Adeola Adeosun, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 June 2025
And some erratic vibrations were detected at points last week as the stark outperformance of year-to-date laggards over the top 2025 performers prompted some comparisons to the nasty momentum-stock reversal of February and March that upset the market well before the tariff panic.
—Michael Santoli, CNBC, 14 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for nastiness
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nastiness
Noun
-
The charges included one count of malice murder and one count of felony murder; three counts of cruelty to children in the first degree; three counts of false imprisonment; three counts of contributing to the dependency of a minor; and three counts of kidnapping.—
Rachel Raposas,
People.com,
19 June 2025
-
The suit, filed this week in Dallas County District court, accuses Gateway Church founder Robert Morris and others of libel, malice, defamation, slander, failure to report, civil conspiracy, intentional infliction of emotional distress and unjust enrichment.—
Alexandra Koch,
FOXNews.com,
13 June 2025
Adjective
-
To properly load a dishwasher for maximum cleaning power, place dishes in the dishwasher with the dirty side facing the jets, with taller items around the outside.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
25 June 2025
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Finally, never reuse dirty water as toddlers and pets might accidentally swallow it.—
Lauren Bengtson,
Better Homes & Gardens,
25 June 2025
Adjective
-
My goodness, these men wanted to win the U.S. Open with every bit of their being, to finally win a major championship and make this ugly, rainy day worth the battles behind them.—
Brody Miller,
New York Times,
16 June 2025
-
The beautiful game deserves better than to be played against a backdrop of ugly anti-human rights policies.—
MSNBC Newsweek,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 June 2025
Adjective
-
While battling through an injury, McDavid was held without a point in each of the last two games, including that painful 2-1 loss in Game 7.—
Daniel Nugent-Bowman,
New York Times,
16 June 2025
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In particular, three symptoms—vaginal dryness, painful intercourse, and increased urinary tract infections, hot flashes, and sleep quality—often emerge as particularly severe for breast cancer patients.—
Chloe Castleberry,
Flow Space,
16 June 2025
Adjective
-
The ex-data processor for the Boston Transportation Department was previously convicted in Suffolk Superior Court of: rape of a child, assault to rape a child, indecent assault and battery on a child, disseminating obscene material to a minor, and possession of child pornography.—
Rick Sobey,
Boston Herald,
24 June 2025
-
But the legal standard for what qualifies as obscene is extremely high.—
Tiffani Jackson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 June 2025
Adjective
-
The best way to safeguard yourself from malicious links that install malware, potentially accessing your private information, is to have antivirus software installed on all your devices.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
16 June 2025
-
Implement web filtering to restrict access to known malicious websites.—
Davey Winder,
Forbes.com,
16 June 2025
Adjective
-
The capsizing was believed to have been caused by turbulent waters from heavy recent rains.—
Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports,
Arkansas Online,
13 June 2025
-
In these turbulent times learning how to manage disputes is a must.—
Harvard Business Review,
Harvard Business Review,
12 June 2025
Adjective
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Troubled Factories: The medications came mostly from plants in India where inspectors found contaminated drugs, filthy labs and falsified records.—
Debbie Cenziper,
ProPublica,
17 June 2025
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The next year, his fame reached a new echelon after the release of Pumping Iron, a docudrama that highlighted Schwarzenegger's strange charisma and filthy sense of humor.—
Randall Colburn,
EW.com,
12 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Nastiness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nastiness. Accessed 30 Jun. 2025.
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