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
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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
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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
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Recent Examples of nasty
Even after the arena fell silent midway through the first period when leading scorer Nikita Kucherov exited after a nasty collision with 6-foot-7 Jets defenseman Logan Stanley, the Lightning had fortune on their side.
—
Eduardo A. Encina, The Orlando Sentinel, 30 Jan. 2026
Microsoft took months to fix Remote Desktop disconnection issues, then shipped a Windows Update that wiped out Copilot, and released updates that duplicated the Task Manager and created a nasty system recovery bug.
—Tom Warren, The Verge, 29 Jan. 2026
Cleveland’s Cade blows hitters away with a nasty fastball/splitter combination.
—Chuck Murr, Forbes.com, 28 Jan. 2026
Beyond that, the schedule remains nasty.
—Eric Koreen, New York Times, 26 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for nasty
Eduardo A. Encina, The Orlando Sentinel, 30 Jan. 2026
Microsoft took months to fix Remote Desktop disconnection issues, then shipped a Windows Update that wiped out Copilot, and released updates that duplicated the Task Manager and created a nasty system recovery bug.
—Tom Warren, The Verge, 29 Jan. 2026
Cleveland’s Cade blows hitters away with a nasty fastball/splitter combination.
—Chuck Murr, Forbes.com, 28 Jan. 2026
Beyond that, the schedule remains nasty.
—Eric Koreen, New York Times, 26 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for nasty
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nasty
Adjective
-
Use of dirty plastic directly To optimize the structure for real-world use, the team utilized computer simulations to identify a design with a high stiffness-to-weight ratio.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
4 Feb. 2026
-
The trucks hauling the snow frolicked in the water, sending dirty gray ripples toward me.—
Naaman Zhou,
New Yorker,
3 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Featuring the good, the bad and the ugly, ‘Look of the Week’ is a regular series dedicated to unpacking the most talked about outfit of the last seven days.—
Leah Dolan,
CNN Money,
6 Feb. 2026
-
And if his squad’s current mini-break produces a similar result — Missouri entered the holiday break with an ugly Braggin’ Rights loss to Illinois but came out of it with an upset of Florida — Gates would no doubt be pleased.—
Ally Schiepp,
Kansas City Star,
6 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
This winter’s procedure, Edman said, included a ligament repair and the removal of some painful bone spurs in the ankle, which had limited not just his baserunning but his ability to bounce back and forth between the infield and the outfield.—
Fabian Ardaya,
New York Times,
1 Feb. 2026
-
With Rock’s unmistakable voice narrating every awkward win and painful loss, the series balanced humor with real-life lessons.—
Tereza Shkurtaj,
PEOPLE,
1 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Weiner pled guilty to transferring obscene material to a minor in 2017 and spent 15 months in federal prison for the crime.—
Martha Ross,
Mercury News,
5 Feb. 2026
-
Texas Tech’s student section directed an obscene chant at Kansas’ Darryn Peterson as the freshman guard prepared to shoot a free throw late in the first half of the Jayhawks’ 64-61 victory over the Red Raiders on Monday night at United Supermarkets Arena in Lubbock, Texas.—
Gary Bedore,
Kansas City Star,
4 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The Russian general was one of several GRU officials sanctioned by the United States in 2016 for wide-ranging malicious cyber activity directed at undermining US democratic processes.—
Anna Chernova,
CNN Money,
6 Feb. 2026
-
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,
5 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Hadder’s own journey from that Tuscaloosa parking lot was turbulent.—
Rob Picheta,
CNN Money,
7 Feb. 2026
-
The Giants are navigating a turbulent time, starting with co-owner Steve Tisch’s prominent appearance in the Epstein Files.—
Pat Leonard,
New York Daily News,
5 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Over the last several seasons of the Movies Fantasy League, the one thing that’s been more consistent than the movies, the awards, or Timmy Chalamet scoring a hit in December has been all you players coming up with some of the most clever, goofy, dumb, sometimes filthy names for your teams.—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
3 Feb. 2026
-
Traditional mops move filthy water, conventional vacuums push fine dust back into the air and cleaning cloths need to be rinsed to maintain hygienic conditions.—
William Jones,
USA Today,
1 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Over time, ice can absorb unpleasant odors from the freezer.—
Olivia McIntosh,
Martha Stewart,
31 Jan. 2026
-
Hair shedding, rashes, dark spots, night sweats, and other unpleasant changes on top of taking care of a new baby (and sleep deprivation) are a lot to deal with.—
Alex Vance,
Parents,
29 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Nasty.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nasty. Accessed 9 Feb. 2026.
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