nasty (ˈnɑːstɪ
)
Definitions
adjective
- unpleasant, offensive, or repugnant
- (of an experience, condition, etc) unpleasant, dangerous, or painful ⇒
a nasty wound
- spiteful, abusive, or ill-natured
- obscene or indecent
- See nasty piece of work
noun
- an offensive or unpleasant person or thing ⇒
a video nasty
Alternative Forms
ˈnastily adverb ˈnastiness nounWord Origin
C14: origin obscure; probably related to Swedish dialect nasket and Dutch nestig dirtySynonyms
View thesaurus entry=
spiteful,
mean,
offensive,
annoying,
vicious,
unpleasant,
abusive,
vile,
malicious,
bad-tempered,
despicable,
disagreeable,
=
disgusting,
unpleasant,
dirty,
offensive,
foul,
horrible,
polluted,
filthy,
sickening,
vile,
distasteful,
repellent,
obnoxious,
objectionable,
disagreeable,
nauseating,
odious,
repugnant,
loathsome,
grotty,
malodorous,
noisome,
unappetizing,
skanky,
mephitic,
yucky or yukky
festy,
yucko,
=
serious,
bad,
dangerous,
critical,
terrible,
alarming,
severe,
grave,
awful,
painful,
dreadful,
frightful,
=
obscene,
blue,
sick,
dirty,
offensive,
gross,
foul,
disgusting,
crude,
rude,
filthy,
indecent,
vulgar,
vile,
improper,
pornographic,
lewd,
risqué,
profane,
x-rated,
salacious,
impure,
lascivious,
smutty,
ribald,
licentious,
scatological,
indelicate,
-nasty
Definitions
combining form in countable noun
- indicating a nastic movement to a certain stimulus ⇒
nyctinasty
Alternative Forms
-nastic combining form in adjectiveWord Origin
from Greek nastos pressed down, close-pressedTranslations
- British English:
nasty
Something that is nasty is very unpleasant or unattractive.The tax increase was a nasty surprise for businesses.ˈnɑːstɪ ADJECTIVE The tax increase was a nasty surprise for businesses.
- Spanish:
desagradable
adj
- French:
méchant
adj
- German:
scheußlich
adj
- Chinese: 令人不悦的 adj
- Arabic: كَرِيهٌ adj
- Portuguese: desagradável adj
- Russian: противный adj противная
- Croatian: gadan adj gadna
- Czech: nepříjemný adj
- Danish: nederdrægtig adj
- Dutch: gemeen adj
- Finnish: paha adj
- Greek: αντιπαθητικός adj αντιπαθητική
- Italian: sgradevole adj
- Japanese: 嫌な no_posp
- Korean: 고약한 adj
- Norwegian: utrivelig adj
- Polish: złośliwy adj złośliwa
- Brazilian Portuguese: desagradável adj
- European Spanish:
desagradable
adj
- Swedish: elak adj elakt
- Thai: น่ารังเกียจ adj
- Turkish: berbat adj
- Vietnamese: kinh tởm adj
Usage examples
And everybody's still squabbling over who gets which piece of turf from his nasty little empire.
, THE LAST TEMPTATION (2002)Every upward shuffle sets off a cascade of strivings beneath, some of which have already become nasty.
Globe and Mail (2003)A gang of nasty criminals hijack the plane they're being transported in.
Glasgow Herald (2001)They toyed with Dad, and Kirby Grip: a Mancunian name for a particularly nasty fighting move.
, THE LAST PARTY: Britpop, Blair and the demise of English rock (2003)