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
But even some Republicans weren’t happy with the nasty gibe.
—
Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 6 Mar. 2025
McCann, for instance, recently engaged in a nasty spat with Severin Borenstein, a UC Berkeley energy economist and regular target of the solar industry’s fury.
—Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2025
Shifts over the first decades of the twenty-first century meant that court races went from being staid, relatively nonpolitical affairs to the loud, sometimes nasty and nakedly political races that voters are growing accustomed to.
—Anya Van Wagtendonk, NPR, 6 Mar. 2025
Poles needs to find difference-makers, nasty offensive linemen, game-wrecking defensive linemen, ravenous pass rushers … again, the Bears have a lot of needs.
—Jon Greenberg, The Athletic, 26 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for nasty
Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 6 Mar. 2025
McCann, for instance, recently engaged in a nasty spat with Severin Borenstein, a UC Berkeley energy economist and regular target of the solar industry’s fury.
—Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2025
Shifts over the first decades of the twenty-first century meant that court races went from being staid, relatively nonpolitical affairs to the loud, sometimes nasty and nakedly political races that voters are growing accustomed to.
—Anya Van Wagtendonk, NPR, 6 Mar. 2025
Poles needs to find difference-makers, nasty offensive linemen, game-wrecking defensive linemen, ravenous pass rushers … again, the Bears have a lot of needs.
—Jon Greenberg, The Athletic, 26 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for nasty
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nasty
Adjective
-
Every Look from the 2025 Oscars Red Carpet By Vogue Based on Court of Honor, William P. Wood’s 1991 legal thriller, this Turner Network Television original movie finds Tom Selleck playing a municipal judge who pitches in to help with a government sting operation focused on nailing a dirty judge.—
Nell Beram,
Vogue,
8 Mar. 2025
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More likely, a veteran like Hill or Ford or any number of others — guys who have played a lot and know how to get the dirty work done — could fit.—
Parker Gabriel,
The Denver Post,
7 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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The 24-year-old displayed all of the good, the bad and the ugly in a 25-game stretch when called up to the majors last season when starting catcher Gabriel Moreno was injured.—
Chuck Murr,
Forbes,
12 Mar. 2025
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Imagine the classic tale The Ugly Duckling, by Hans Christian Andersen — only, in this version, the ugly duckling doesn’t mature into a beautiful swan.—
Matt Kracht,
People.com,
11 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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While that decline was painful for COST holders, the stock bottomed in mid-May, five months before the S & P 500 ultimately found its own low in October 2022.—
Frank Cappelleri,
CNBC,
12 Mar. 2025
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Like witnessing a bad car crash, Ye’s (formerly known as Kanye West) latest episodes of hate speech and misogyny have been painful to watch and continue to elicit shock and dismay from every corner of the entertainment world.—
David Renzer,
Rolling Stone,
12 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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According to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), individuals may not block access to sidewalks or buildings, disrupt counterprotests, or engage in speech that is obscene, makes knowingly false statements of fact, or incites immediate violence or dangerous disturbances.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
Newsweek,
5 Mar. 2025
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There is absolutely nothing in libraries across the state that is obscene.—
Laura Tillman,
Hartford Courant,
27 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Fraudsters are increasingly using generative AI to write convincing phishing emails, improve deepfakes, and draft new forms of malicious code — making scams harder to detect.—
Sam Sabin,
Axios,
11 Mar. 2025
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The best way to safeguard yourself from malicious apps is to have antivirus software installed on all your devices.—
Kurt Knutsson, CyberGuy Report,
Fox News,
11 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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The turbulent decade that saw the Cuban Missile Crisis, President John F. Kennedy’s and Martin Luther King’s assassination, and the Vietnam War meant that home viewers were more open to escapism and entertainment that would whisk them away from the world's horrors.—
Jeff Spry,
Space.com,
11 Mar. 2025
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Outside of turbulent foreign relations, the election comes at a critical time in Hollywood as the entertainment industry faces unprecedented uncertainty due to AI and plummeting profits.—
Jack Dunn,
Variety,
10 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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In early modern Europe, the filthiest trades (such as tanning) were branded nuisances and forced out of cities and closer to those living at society’s margins.—
Scott W. Stern,
The Atlantic,
10 Mar. 2025
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The beat is straight up filthy, as are the lyrics, written from the point of view of a seductress who is simultaneously a literal murderer.—
James Factora,
Them,
7 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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That leads to the second point: automating boring tasks, or delegating unpleasant things to the AI itself.—
John Werner,
Forbes,
9 Mar. 2025
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Seed oils are typically made by pressing or crushing the seeds and then processing them further with chemicals and heat to remove elements that can leave the oil cloudy or with an unpleasant taste or odor.—
Jonel Aleccia,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Mar. 2025
Articles Related to nasty
Cite this Entry
“Nasty.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nasty. Accessed 23 Mar. 2025.
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