1
as in malice
the desire to cause pain for the satisfaction of doing harm
there was a natural nastiness about him that was evident from the time he was a small child
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in grossness
the quality or state of being obscene
the nastiness of the graffiti required that the school remove it immediately
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in dustiness
the state or quality of being dirty
the piles of rotting food in the kitchen were only one element in the apartment's general impression of appalling nastiness
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of nastiness
Coach Glen Gulutzan loaded up his third line with nastiness, putting Bunting with captain Benn and Justin Hryckowian.
—
Michael Russo, New York Times, 1 May 2026
The inherent nastiness of Over Your Dead Body will likely keep it from being anything but another cultish object in Taccone’s interesting career.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 27 Apr. 2026
At a time when Hafley and general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan have engaged in a culture change in Miami Gardens, Bain can help bring a nastiness to the defense.
—Miami Herald, 22 Apr. 2026
At least until all hell breaks loose in a kinetic movie that revels in its unrelenting nastiness.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 16 Apr. 2026
In this moment when fine dining is being roiled by toxic behavior, Nancy’s eight restaurants offer proof that nastiness is no recipe for success.
—Ruth Reichl, Time, 15 Apr. 2026
The potential nastiness of this year’s race has led others to be cautious about tossing their hat into the ring.
—Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald, 8 Apr. 2026
Amanda says she’s stuck by him through the rumors and nastiness, as Meredith Marks would say, and all the terrible things he’s done, but she will not be talked to like that anymore; she’s done.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 1 Apr. 2026
Meanwhile, the movie’s villains — played by recognizable faces, among them Heather Graham and Tom Felton — get pretty much zero by way of personality, or even superficial nastiness, making Asia’s reprisals a whole lot less entertaining.
—Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 18 Mar. 2026
Michael Russo, New York Times, 1 May 2026
The inherent nastiness of Over Your Dead Body will likely keep it from being anything but another cultish object in Taccone’s interesting career.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 27 Apr. 2026
At a time when Hafley and general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan have engaged in a culture change in Miami Gardens, Bain can help bring a nastiness to the defense.
—Miami Herald, 22 Apr. 2026
At least until all hell breaks loose in a kinetic movie that revels in its unrelenting nastiness.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 16 Apr. 2026
In this moment when fine dining is being roiled by toxic behavior, Nancy’s eight restaurants offer proof that nastiness is no recipe for success.
—Ruth Reichl, Time, 15 Apr. 2026
The potential nastiness of this year’s race has led others to be cautious about tossing their hat into the ring.
—Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald, 8 Apr. 2026
Amanda says she’s stuck by him through the rumors and nastiness, as Meredith Marks would say, and all the terrible things he’s done, but she will not be talked to like that anymore; she’s done.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 1 Apr. 2026
Meanwhile, the movie’s villains — played by recognizable faces, among them Heather Graham and Tom Felton — get pretty much zero by way of personality, or even superficial nastiness, making Asia’s reprisals a whole lot less entertaining.
—Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 18 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nastiness
Noun
-
The task is advanced by our malice toward one, and that one is Mary.—
Thomas Mallon,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
-
Most environments do not fail out of malice.—
Bill Schiffmiller,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2026
Noun
-
There are no great surprises from here on out, though the sheer, lusty grossness of the fallout is occasionally startling.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
16 Apr. 2026
-
If an exclamation point only signified gore and grossness, this gothic rock opera would more than qualify.—
Rachel Simon,
Vulture,
6 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
When picturing a predator, most people envision an animal with immense speed, sharp teeth or deadly venom.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes.com,
9 May 2026
-
Some people have an allergic reaction to the venom.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
7 May 2026
Noun
-
In addition, prosecutors say swastikas, antisemitic slogans and vulgarity were spray-painted on pillars underneath M-53 and Canal, a brick wall near a business and an electrical box at a second business.—
Joseph Buczek,
CBS News,
22 Apr. 2026
-
His vulgarity, insults and threats do not make America great.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
11 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
An earnest, has-a-costume-for-everything kind of guy, Daub is allergic to the greige and the dinge.—
Sandra Upson,
Wired,
18 Jan. 2021
-
Dinges said the two crewmembers whose sleep remained steady -- even in the absence of conventional daylight -- were those who kept to a strict schedule and found other ways to control their biological clocks.—
Michael Nedelman,
CNN,
1 June 2017
Noun
-
Many exiles, however, disagreed with that view and said the incident had only renewed their hatred for Castro.—
Miami Herald Archives,
Miami Herald,
20 May 2026
-
America remains the only large country in history where Jews have become fully equal citizens under a constitutional order strong enough, so far, to withstand waves of hatred and scapegoating.—
Michael W. Sonnenfeldt,
The Atlantic,
20 May 2026
Noun
-
Ideally, they are planted in a large, open green space where the falling walnuts won’t cause damage, harm, or permanent staining.—
Cori Sears,
The Spruce,
14 May 2026
-
By harnessing a particle accelerator to generate extraordinarily bright, coherent X-rays, the team was able to capture high-resolution internal anatomy in seconds, without the lengthy staining or other preprocessing steps often required for soft-tissue contrast in standard lab scanners.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
5 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
That’s one of the great cruelties of the world.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 May 2026
-
The movie, set in Spain in 1944, is both an intoxicating work of fantasy and a grim parable of political rebellion, and its insights into the cruelties and vulnerabilities of fascist power remain undimmed.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Nastiness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nastiness. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
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