nastiness 1 of 2

noun

Definition of nastinessnext
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

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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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nasty

2 of 2

adjective

ˈna-stē How to pronounce nasty (audio)
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 nastiness
Noun
No wonder a little nastiness surfaced at the fair when the Senate candidates took reporters’ questions. —Laura Washington, Chicago Tribune, 20 Aug. 2025
Adjective
The batteries consume a huge amount of resources with nasty environmental spinoffs. —Neil Winton, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025 Harry’s claims include his description of William having a nasty temper and allegedly attacking Harry and pushing a false narrative about Meghan bullying palace staff. —Martha Ross, Mercury News, 16 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for nastiness
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nastiness
  1. malice
  2. grossness
  3. dirty
  4. ugly
  5. painful
  6. obscene
  7. malicious
  8. turbulent
Noun
  • More than avoiding malice, we are called to take responsibility for the impact of our words.
    — Andrew Weinstein, Time, 12 Sep. 2025
  • Understand that controlling behaviors may stem from fear and insecurity rather than malice.
    — Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025
Definition of malice
Noun
  • Brain rot has become unavoidable, its grossness ubiquitous.
    — Kyle Chayka, New Yorker, 20 Aug. 2025
Definition of grossness
Adjective
  • The gentle, fragrance-free formula leaves even the dirtiest of clothes spotless.
    — Sophia Panych, Allure, 16 Sep. 2025
  • Ahead of Lipa’s arrival the team was busy setting up trays of extra dirty martinis, her preferred drink.
    — Leigh Nordstrom, Footwear News, 16 Sep. 2025
Definition of dirty
Adjective
  • The only debate is which of his five interceptions against LSU was the ugliest and/or costliest in a 20-10 loss.
    — David Ubben, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2025
  • The results were ugly and caused lasting damage to our citizens' livelihoods and our city's reputation.
    — Ted Wheeler, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Sep. 2025
Definition of ugly
Adjective
  • In other words, the more painful the cry sounded, the warmer the listener's face became—and the effect was the same for both men and women.
    — Daniella Gray, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Sep. 2025
  • The Queen could have surgery to remove bunions, but has been warned against it as the surgery is too painful.
    — Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 16 Sep. 2025
Definition of painful
Adjective
  • Guests will enjoy the experience free from disruptive behavior, foul language, obscene gestures, fighting, unruly conduct or inconsiderate actions.
    — Ed Masley, AZCentral.com, 20 Sep. 2025
  • Other users called her obscene names, threatened to show up at her workplace, or sent her a photograph of guns.
    — Quinn Clark, jsonline.com, 16 Sep. 2025
Definition of obscene
Adjective
  • The best way to safeguard yourself from malicious links that install malware, potentially accessing your private information, is to have strong antivirus software installed on all your devices.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 20 Sep. 2025
  • If the vulnerability had been discovered by, or fallen into the hands of, malicious hackers, the fallout could have been devastating.
    — Kevin Purdy, ArsTechnica, 20 Sep. 2025
Definition of malicious
Adjective
  • Giant chronicles a turbulent time in the life of famed children’s author Dahl when he was accused of anti-Semitism in the early 1980s.
    — Greg Evans, Deadline, 16 Sep. 2025
  • As the biomaterials space navigates a more turbulent landscape marked by tightening budgets, regulatory uncertainty, and investor caution, Biofabricate is adapting its approach.
    — Rhonda Richford, Footwear News, 16 Sep. 2025
Definition of turbulent

Browse Nearby Words

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nastiness
nasty
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Cite this Entry

“Nastiness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nastiness. Accessed 22 Sep. 2025.

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