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
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
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in painful
causing or feeling bodily pain
a nasty cut on my lip
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
6
as in turbulent
marked by wet and windy conditions
bring your raincoat, as the weather's supposed to be nasty
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
7
as in filthy
not clean
it's incredibly nasty inside that garbage bin, so stay away from there
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
8
as in unpleasant
not giving pleasure to the mind or senses
the smell of those old leftovers is downright nasty
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
9
as in unsettling
causing worry or anxiety
she had the nasty sense that she'd made a mistake somewhere
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Dave Hyde, Sun Sentinel, 25 May 2025
While deGrom was firing a fastball that averaged 98.4 mph, a nasty slider, a changeup and a curve, the Rangers had their own troubles against a much different pitcher.
—Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 22 May 2025
Put aside your worries about fire ants for just a moment, because a less familiar ant with a nasty sting is becoming a problem in the South.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 22 May 2025
As nasty tornadoes popped up from Kansas to Kentucky, a depleted National Weather Service was in scramble mode.
—Seth Borenstein, Twin Cities, 22 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for nastiness
Adjective
The Panthers already were without star forward Sam Reinhart after a nasty Game 2 hit by Carolina’s Sebastian Aho.
—Dave Hyde, Sun Sentinel, 25 May 2025
While deGrom was firing a fastball that averaged 98.4 mph, a nasty slider, a changeup and a curve, the Rangers had their own troubles against a much different pitcher.
—Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 22 May 2025
Put aside your worries about fire ants for just a moment, because a less familiar ant with a nasty sting is becoming a problem in the South.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 22 May 2025
As nasty tornadoes popped up from Kansas to Kentucky, a depleted National Weather Service was in scramble mode.
—Seth Borenstein, Twin Cities, 22 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for nastiness
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nastiness
Noun
-
As to the media statements, Cook could not offer adequate proof of one element ― malice ― and so could not make out a prima facie case for defamation as to the media statements.—
Jay Adkisson,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2025
-
The actress, however, bore no malice, moving to Europe until her death from a brain tumor in 2011, aged 58.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
14 May 2025
Adjective
-
Martin Kove as John Kreese Martin Kove played John Kreese, Johnny's karate mentor, who encourages his students to play dirty and harass Daniel.—
Keith Langston,
People.com,
1 June 2025
-
That lack of presence really doesn’t matter, though, since dirty dojos like Cobra Kai and Demolition don’t accept defeat too easily.—
Tim Lammers,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2025
Adjective
-
The birds' droppings end up on the ground and windows below, creating an ugly scene for staff, branch patrons and passersby walking in the River Market District.—
Joseph Flaherty,
Arkansas Online,
23 May 2025
-
Compare the first half of Season 15 to Jodie Whittaker’s last outing as the Doctor, and things get uglier.—
Jake Kanter,
Deadline,
23 May 2025
Adjective
-
Their boyfriends, meanwhile, suffer the painful indignities of paper cutters, buzzsaws, and other sharp objects.—
Randall Colburn,
EW.com,
23 May 2025
-
Manu diving can hurt The researchers caution that the manu maneuver is not only difficult but can be risky and painful.—
Elizabeth Weise,
USA Today,
22 May 2025
Adjective
-
Venis’s obscene wealth justifies an unbridled narcissism that reflects our worst fears of tech moguls.—
Andrew Wallenstein,
Variety,
28 May 2025
-
In December 2014, a jury convicted Magnotta of first-degree murder, committing an indignity to a human body, publishing obscene material and mailing obscene and indecent material.—
Jessica Sager,
People.com,
25 May 2025
Adjective
-
Enhances visibility and control of network traffic and user activities and detects and blocks malicious activities.—
Mickey Singh,
Forbes.com,
23 May 2025
-
The malicious URLs outputted in the response are in clickable form, meaning all a user has to do is click one to be taken to a malicious site.—
Dan Goodin,
ArsTechnica,
23 May 2025
Adjective
-
These steps prevent, rather than heal, costly losses that weaken a company’s cash position, especially in turbulent times.—
Dean Kaplan,
Forbes.com,
22 May 2025
-
This time, there’s still some uneasiness around the organization, mainly rooted in its turbulent recent past.—
James L. Edwards III,
New York Times,
22 May 2025
Adjective
-
After being fired from SNL, Silverman scored a part playing a misunderstood filthy comedy writer on The Larry Sanders Show, Shandling’s classic send-up of the talk-show game.—
Stephen Rodrick,
Rolling Stone,
18 May 2025
-
Who doesn’t rinse out (and ideally wash) a filthy blender filled with milky stuff?—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
7 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Nastiness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nastiness. Accessed 5 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share