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
Relevance
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
Nicky and Morgan get accidentally sucked into the vortex of a nasty crime syndicate after Morgan squabbles with a clerk (Boran Kuzum) about jewelry at a store and then filches it.
—
Randy Myers, Mercury News, 9 Apr. 2026
Levinson’s series has long trafficked as a kind of smutty after-school special, not unlike how Ryan Murphy delves into some of the nastiest gore imaginable and then chastises us for watching.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 8 Apr. 2026
But that requires you to believe that its nasty regime actually has been diminished over the past several weeks, rather than emboldened by its survival in the face of attack.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 8 Apr. 2026
The scandal involving Rollins, Hayden and Arroyo was part of a nasty 2022 race for Suffolk DA.
—Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald, 8 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for nasty
Randy Myers, Mercury News, 9 Apr. 2026
Levinson’s series has long trafficked as a kind of smutty after-school special, not unlike how Ryan Murphy delves into some of the nastiest gore imaginable and then chastises us for watching.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 8 Apr. 2026
But that requires you to believe that its nasty regime actually has been diminished over the past several weeks, rather than emboldened by its survival in the face of attack.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 8 Apr. 2026
The scandal involving Rollins, Hayden and Arroyo was part of a nasty 2022 race for Suffolk DA.
—Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald, 8 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for nasty
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nasty
Adjective
-
The five fabulous transfers who make up coach Dusty May’s starting lineup got down and dirty with the rest of the Wolverines to dig out the national championship on Monday.—
Senior Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Apr. 2026
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And speaking of windows, Wiseman said that the windows of Orion are already dirty because the crew enjoyed looking out of them so much.—
Jacopo Prisco,
CNN Money,
7 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
While not the pastor of the United States, Trump surely represents the face of the United States on a daily basis, and that face is an ugly one.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Apr. 2026
-
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,
9 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
In the following months, painful shocks radiated through her chest and back.—
Brett Kelman,
USA Today,
4 Apr. 2026
-
The images of that crash were shared widely online and caught Noah Williams' attention, triggering painful memories and taking him back to the day his own life changed forever.—
Karen Morfitt,
CBS News,
4 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Weapon violations dropped more than 13%, and crimes involving pornography or obscene material were down more than 23%, according to the report.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
8 Apr. 2026
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Do better, or consider hiring people who paint a vivid enough picture with words rather than having to lean on photographers who seem to have an obscene bloodlust.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
4 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
In worst-case scenarios, malicious code can exploit weaknesses in your phone, create backdoor access and pull in even more data without your knowledge.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
9 Apr. 2026
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Over a four-week period starting on December 12, Black Lotus observed more than 290,000 distinct IP addresses sending at least one DNS request to the malicious APT28 DNS resolver.—
Dan Goodin,
ArsTechnica,
8 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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In his first novel, Il salto con le aste (1989), Domenico Starnone presented two young boys determined to escape their turbulent Neapolitan backgrounds and assert themselves as free spirits and writers in the wider world.—
Tim Parks,
The New York Review of Books,
4 Apr. 2026
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Soaring food and energy costs related to world conflicts, post-pandemic labor shortages, and consumers skittish about spending in this turbulent economy have become huge challenges for restaurateurs, Guez says.—
Vivian Song,
CNN Money,
3 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Kilitch Healthcare had serious quality lapses, in which the facility was filthy, employees were barefoot on the manufacturing floor and the company fraudulently passed products that failed sterility tests.—
C. Michael White,
The Conversation,
7 Apr. 2026
-
Common areas are often filthy, and increasingly populated by drug users.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
3 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The response from me is very unpleasant, and then my husband gets all uncomfortable.—
Judith Martin,
Mercury News,
3 Apr. 2026
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Finally, a carbon filter is used to eliminate odors such as ammonia, cigarette smoke, hydrogen sulfide, and other pollutants that emit unpleasant smells.—
John R. Delaney,
PC Magazine,
2 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Nasty.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nasty. Accessed 12 Apr. 2026.
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