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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in painful
causing or feeling bodily pain
a nasty cut on my lip
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
6
as in turbulent
marked by wet and windy conditions
bring your raincoat, as the weather's supposed to be nasty
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
7
as in filthy
not clean
it's incredibly nasty inside that garbage bin, so stay away from there
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
8
as in unpleasant
not giving pleasure to the mind or senses
the smell of those old leftovers is downright nasty
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
9
as in unsettling
causing worry or anxiety
she had the nasty sense that she'd made a mistake somewhere
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of nasty
Notes were slipped under her dorm door, and people left her nasty voicemails, text messages, and emails.
—
Lyz Lenz, Rolling Stone, 28 May 2026
With the possible exception of the bike-lane debacle in Chicago, dominated by zero-sum fanatics, few debates have been as nasty as the one involving Chicagoland’s new football stadium.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 28 May 2026
Allred was the top vote-getter in March but did not get enough votes to avoid a runoff against Johnson, lengthening an already nasty race.
—Fin Daniel Gómez, CBS News, 27 May 2026
Karl-Anthony Towns stretched defenses all postseason, while Mikal Bridges, Josh Hart and OG Anunoby helped turn the Knicks into one of the league’s nastiest two-way teams.
—Alejandro Avila Outkick, FOXNews.com, 26 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for nasty
Lyz Lenz, Rolling Stone, 28 May 2026
With the possible exception of the bike-lane debacle in Chicago, dominated by zero-sum fanatics, few debates have been as nasty as the one involving Chicagoland’s new football stadium.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 28 May 2026
Allred was the top vote-getter in March but did not get enough votes to avoid a runoff against Johnson, lengthening an already nasty race.
—Fin Daniel Gómez, CBS News, 27 May 2026
Karl-Anthony Towns stretched defenses all postseason, while Mikal Bridges, Josh Hart and OG Anunoby helped turn the Knicks into one of the league’s nastiest two-way teams.
—Alejandro Avila Outkick, FOXNews.com, 26 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for nasty
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nasty
Adjective
-
The legal, commercial, and reputational risks of avoiding dirty leather will fall on your shoulders.—
Jasmin Malik Chua,
Footwear News,
26 May 2026
-
Sleep deprivation and dirty diapers are a small price to pay to feel such love.—
Luke Smith,
New York Times,
25 May 2026
Adjective
-
Lemieux was 37, and had a reputation as one of those players who knew where to be, and when, around the ugly areas on the ice in a playoff game.—
Mac Engel
May 29,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
29 May 2026
-
We, viewers and voters, are subjected to very ugly photographs and rhetoric.—
DP Opinion,
Denver Post,
29 May 2026
Adjective
-
Loafers can sometimes feel weirdly stiff straight out of the box, but this popular Uptown pair skips that painful break-in phase.—
Chaise Sanders,
Travel + Leisure,
25 May 2026
-
But as the disease progressed, their relationship fractured in painful ways.—
Tereza Shkurtaj,
PEOPLE,
24 May 2026
Adjective
-
That’s enough to send Tom over the edge, screaming at his boss about how his obscene hobby doesn’t give him any idea what war is really like.—
Scott Tobias,
Vulture,
24 May 2026
-
Russian authorities continue to pay obscene sums for those willing to sign up.—
Daniel DePetris,
Mercury News,
23 May 2026
Adjective
-
The core challenge of adapting systems of trust to the agentic economy is distinguishing legitimate from malicious automation without harming the user experience.—
Andrew Sever,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2026
-
The addition was a prompt injection, a form of AI attack that exploits an LLM’s inability to distinguish between legitimate user prompts and those from unauthorized, potentially malicious third parties.—
Dan Goodin,
ArsTechnica,
28 May 2026
Adjective
-
The collapse of its currency is changing that—placing Jakarta at the center of a turbulent 2026.—
William Pesek,
Forbes.com,
22 May 2026
-
The shutdown adds to a turbulent stretch for Madrigal’s restaurant empire.—
Reeti Malhotra
May 22,
Sacbee.com,
22 May 2026
Adjective
-
And some of the best evidence of the lovebugs’ comeback came last week at the Turkey Lake Service Plaza on Florida’s Turnpike, where filthy, splattered cars and trucks queued up before the plaza’s automatic windshield washer.—
Martin E. Comas,
The Orlando Sentinel,
27 May 2026
-
But a visually unappealing toilet seat could make an otherwise tidy bathroom look unexpectedly filthy—and there may really be more dirt and germs there than meet the eye, too.—
Louise Parks,
Martha Stewart,
25 May 2026
Adjective
-
Artificial Grape Deterrent Birds find the compound methyl anthranilate unpleasant.—
Gemma Johnstone,
The Spruce,
24 May 2026
-
Aside from an unpleasant taste and potentially foul odor, condiments that have been opened and sitting in your fridge for too long can cause illness.—
Arabella Hau,
PEOPLE,
23 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Nasty.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nasty. Accessed 30 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
