Nasty — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

Nasty (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

1. arousing or deserving of one's loathing and disgust

   "fortunately, the story's nasty characters are balanced by some truly good people"

   similar: cheap, contemptible, cruddy, deplorable, despicable, dirty, grubby, lame, lousy, mean, paltry, pitiable, pitiful, ratty, scabby, scummy, scurvy, sneaking, sorry, wretched
   related: abhorrent, abominable, condemnable, detestable, execrable, hateful, loathsome, odious, disgusting, reptilian, repugnant, repulsive, revolting, revulsive, discreditable, disgraceful, dishonorable, disreputable, ignominious, shameful, base, ignoble, low, shabby, sordid, squalid, vile, blamable, censurable, reprehensible, reproachable, cowardly, craven, dastardly, unethical, unprincipled, unscrupulous
   opposite: admirable, commendable, creditable, laudable, meritorious, praiseworthy
   near: high-minded, honest, honorable, noble, principled, redoubtable, reputable, right-minded, scrupulous, upright, ethical, good, moral, right, righteous, virtuous

2. causing intense displeasure, disgust, or resentment

   "a nasty horror movie that was so violent that I could hardly watch the opening scenes"

   similar: abhorrent, abominable, appalling, awful, disgusting, distasteful, dreadful, evil, foul, fulsome, gross, hideous, horrendous, horrible, horrid, loathsome, nauseating, nauseous, noisome, noxious, obnoxious, obscene, odious, offensive, rancid, repellent, repugnant, repulsive, revolting, scandalous, shocking, sickening, ugly
   related: exceptionable, objectionable, brackish, disagreeable, dislikable, unpleasant, contemptible, despicable, detestable, hard, hateful, unhealthy, unsavory, unwholesome, execrable, lousy, miserable, atrocious, frightful, ghastly, grim, grisly, gruesome, heinous, horrific, horrifying, lurid, macabre, monstrous, nightmarish, sick, sickish, sickly, terrible, unspeakable, vile, off-putting, undesirable, unwanted, unwelcome, barbarous, unchristian, uncivilized, ungodly, unholy, distressing, disturbing, upsetting
   opposite: innocuous, inoffensive
   near: acceptable, agreeable, alluring, appealing, attractive, blessed, congenial, darling, delectable, delicious, delightful, delightsome, desirable, dreamy, dulcet, enjoyable, felicitous, gratifying, heavenly, inviting, likable, luscious, nice, palatable, pleasant, pleasing, pleasurable, satisfying, savory, sweet, welcome, unexceptionable, unobjectionable, healthful, healthy, restorative, salubrious, salutary, wholesome

3. causing or feeling bodily pain

   "a nasty cut on my lip"

   similar: aching, achy, afflictive, hurting, painful, sore
   related: agonizing, excruciating, torturous, damaging, deleterious, detrimental, harmful, hurtful, injurious, noxious, pernicious, raw, tender, bleeding, burning, chafing, cramping, festering, itching, nagging, pinching, pricking, prickling, smarting, stinging, inflamed, swollen, grievous, severe, threatening, wounding
   opposite: indolent, painless
   near: curative, healing, helping, remedial

4. depicting or referring to sexual matters in a way that is unacceptable in polite society

   "nasty magazines that are not sold to minors"

   similar: bawdy, blue, coarse, crude, dirty, filthy, foul, gross, gutter, impure, indecent, lascivious, lewd, locker-room, obscene, pornographic, porny, profane, raunchy, ribald, smutty, stag, trashy, unprintable, vulgar, wanton, X-rated
   related: broad, coarse-grained, gamy, off, off-color, racy, risqué, salacious, salty, suggestive, barnyard, earthy, scatological, immodest, indecorous, indelicate, low, unbecoming, depraved, kinky, louche, naughty, perverse, perverted, wicked, exceptionable, objectionable, unacceptable, undesirable, unwanted, unwelcome, abhorrent, debasing, disgusting, loathsome, offensive, repellent, repugnant, repulsive, revolting, distasteful, obnoxious, unpleasant, blamable, blameworthy, censurable, reprehensible, atrocious, infamous, abusive, scurrilous, hard-core, soft, soft-core
   opposite: clean, decent, G-rated, nonobscene, wholesome
   near: priggish, prim, prudish, puritanical, staid, straitlaced, Victorian, correct, decorous, genteel, nice, polite, proper, respectable, seemly, innocuous, inoffensive, acceptable, agreeable, desirable, pleasant, pleasing, welcome, appropriate, becoming, fit, meet, suitable, immaculate, perfect, pure, spotless, virginal, approved, endorsed, sanctioned

5. 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"

   similar: bad (slang), bitchy, catty, cruel, despiteful, hateful, malevolent, malicious, malign, malignant, mean, spiteful, vicious, virulent
   related: devious, scoundrelly, scurvy, snakelike, acrimonious, bitter, envious, jaundiced, jealous, rancorous, resentful, vindictive, vitriolic, contemptuous, deprecating, derogatory, disdainful, disparaging, mean-spirited, obnoxious, opprobrious, scornful, snide, snotty, unkind, unkindly, unloving, baleful, baneful, evil, harsh, hostile, inimical, acrid, caustic, poisonous, scathing, venomous
   opposite: benevolent, benign, benignant, loving, unmalicious
   near: compassionate, good, good-hearted, kind, kindhearted, kindly, sympathetic, warm, warmhearted, affable, agreeable, amiable, cordial, friendly, genial, gracious, nice, pleasant, affectionate, amorous, sweet, tender, tenderhearted, humane, altruistic, high-minded, humanitarian, magnanimous, noble, philanthropic

6. marked by wet and windy conditions

   "bring your raincoat, as the weather's supposed to be nasty"

   similar: bleak, dirty, foul, inclement, raw, rough, squally, stormy, tempestuous, turbulent
   related: blowy, blustering, blustery, breezy, gusty, windblown, windswept, cloudy, overcast, sunless, rainy, snowy, foggy, hazy, misty, murky, soupy
   opposite: bright, clear, clement, cloudless, fair, sunny, sunshiny, unclouded
   near: rainless, balmy, calm, halcyon, peaceful, placid, pleasant, serene

7. not clean

   "it's incredibly nasty inside that garbage bin, so stay away from there"

   similar: bedraggled, befouled, begrimed, bemired, besmirched, black, blackened, cruddy, dingy, dirty, draggled, dusty, filthy, foul, grimy, grotty (chiefly British), grubby, grungy, mucky, muddy, smudged, smutty, soiled, sordid, stained, sullied, unclean, uncleanly
   related: contaminated, defiled, germy, impure, polluted, tainted, insanitary, uncleaned, unsanitary, unsterile, unsterilized, unwashed, greasy, gunky, chaotic, cluttered, confused, disarranged, disarrayed, disheveled, disordered, jumbled, littered, messed, messy, muddled, mussed, mussy, rumpled, scruffy, sloppy, slovenly, unkempt, untidy, raunchy, scuzzy (slang), shabby, skanky (slang), sleazy, squalid, collied (chiefly British dialect), crocked (dialect), fuliginous, sooty
   opposite: clean, cleanly, immaculate, spick-and-span, spotless, stainless, ultraclean, unsoiled, unstained, unsullied
   near: clear, limpid, pure, cleaned, cleansed, combed, groomed, neat, ordered, orderly, tidy, bleached, purified, whitened, bright, flawless, perfect, shiny, sparkling, unspotted, untouched, taintless, unblemished, undefiled, unpolluted, untainted, virgin, wholesome

8. not giving pleasure to the mind or senses

   "the smell of those old leftovers is downright nasty"

   similar: bad, bitter, disagreeable, displeasing, distasteful, harsh, icky, rotten, sour, uncongenial, unlovely, unpalatable, unpleasant, unpleasing, unsavory, unwelcome, wicked, yucky
   related: abhorrent, abominable, appalling, awful, beastly, bilious, disgusting, dreadful, foul, ghastly, gnarly (slang), god-awful, gross, hateful, hellish, hideous, horrendous, horrible, horrid, invidious, loathsome, nauseating, nauseous, noisome, obnoxious, obscene, odious, offensive, repellent, repugnant, repulsive, revolting, revulsive, scandalous, seamy, shocking, sick, sickening, ugly, unholy, vile, villainous, aggravating, annoying, galling, irritating, vexing, crappy (slang), cruddy, crummy, lousy, miserable, sucky (slang), wretched
   opposite: agreeable, congenial, good, grateful, gratifying, nice, palatable, pleasant, pleasing, pleasurable, satisfying, welcome
   near: delectable, delicious, delightful, dreamy, felicitous, amiable, charming, cheery, friendly, jolly, kindly, sweet

9. causing worry or anxiety

   "she had the nasty sense that she'd made a mistake somewhere"

   similar: discomforting, discomposing, disquieting, distressing, disturbing, nagging, perturbing, troublesome, troubling, troublous, unsettling, upsetting, worrisome
   related: daunting, demoralizing, discomfiting, disconcerting, discouraging, disheartening, dismaying, dispiriting, chilling, frightening, scary, harassing, persecutive, persecutory, alarming, dire, direful, dread, dreadful, fearful, fearsome, forbidding, formidable, frightful, ghastly, hair-raising, horrendous, horrible, horrifying, intimidating, shocking, terrible, terrifying
   opposite: reassuring
   near: calming, quieting, settling, soothing, comforting, consoling, dreamy, inviting, lulling, narcotic, pacifying, relaxing, sedative, tranquilizing

10. not being in accordance with the rules or standards of what is fair in sport

    "a nasty hit got the hockey player suspended"

    similar: dirty, foul, illegal, unfair, unsportsmanlike, below the belt
    related: dishonorable, shabby, shameful, ignoble, low, mean, ungentlemanly, immoral, rotten, unchivalrous, unethical, unjust, unprincipled, unrighteous, unscrupulous
    opposite: clean, fair, legal, sportsmanlike, sportsmanly
    near: just, law-abiding, ethical, moral, principled, righteous, scrupulous, honorable, irreproachable, unimpeachable

11. not following or in accordance with standards of honor and decency

    "that was a nasty trick to play on people who were so trusting"

    similar: base, contemptible, currish, despicable, detestable, dirty, dishonorable, execrable, ignoble, ignominious, low, low-down, low-minded, mean, paltry, snide, sordid, vile, wretched
    related: bad, evil, foul, immoral, iniquitous, miscreant, wicked, wrong, cruel, vicious, blamable, blameworthy, censurable, reprehensible, corrupt, debased, debauched, degenerate, depraved, dissolute, perverted, atrocious, villainous, unethical, unprincipled, unscrupulous, discreditable, disgraceful, disreputable, shameful, unworthy
    opposite: high, high-minded, honorable, lofty, noble, straight, upright, venerable, virtuous
    near: ethical, honest, just, principled, righteous, right-minded, scrupulous, commendable, excellent, exemplary, good, moral, right, decent, proper, reputable, respectable, seemly, blameless, guiltless, incorruptible, irreproachable, uncorrupted, unerring

12. 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"

    similar: catchy, delicate, difficult, dodgy (chiefly British), hairy, knotty, prickly, problematic, sensitive, spiny, sticky, thorny, ticklish, touchy, tough, tricksy, tricky
    related: abstract, abstruse, complex, complicated, hard, intricate, involved, recondite, serious, problem, scabrous, stubborn, troublesome, troublous, vexatious, vexing, worrisome, burdensome, demanding, discommoding, exacting, exhausting, importunate, inconvenient, onerous, oppressive, painful, stressful
    near: easy, effortless, manageable, painless, simple, straightforward, uncomplicated, undemanding, unproblematic