nastier; nastiest
1
a
: disgustingly filthy
nasty living conditions
b
: physically repugnant
a nasty taste
4
a
: extremely hazardous (see hazardous sense 1) or harmful
a nasty undertow
b
: causing severe pain or suffering
a nasty wound
a nasty fall
c
: sharply unpleasant : disagreeable
nasty weather
5
a
: difficult to understand or deal with
a nasty problem
a nasty curveball
b
: psychologically unsettling : trying
a nasty fear that she was lost
6
: lacking in courtesy or sportsmanship
a nasty trick
Synonyms
Examples of nasty in a Sentence
She has a nasty habit of biting her fingernails.
The medicine left a nasty taste in my mouth.
That nasty old man yelled at me just for stepping on his lawn!
He sent a nasty letter to the company.
She's got quite a nasty temper.
He said lots of downright nasty things about her.
She called him a few nasty names and left.
Recent Examples on the Web
Good post for a mid- to late-November afternoon: 70 to 100 yards back in timber and along the thickest, nastiest ditch that leads out to crops.
59) Don’t waste precious rut-hunting time.
—
Michael Hanback, Outdoor Life, 7 Nov. 2024
Reason for Ranking: Yet another solid (and prescient) premise that’s spoiled by a nasty streak and curious jokes about, uh, Abraham Lincoln hitting on Homer.
—Joshua Kurp, Vulture, 4 Nov. 2024
There was something in the water in the filmmaking community at this time where even the nastiest material could be directed with a flourish that would send it down smoothly.
—Declan Gallagher, EW.com, 30 Oct. 2024
Dodgers Dodgers win Game 2, but will Shohei Ohtani injury complicate World Series path?
Oct. 26, 2024
Treinen struck out slugger Aaron Judge with a nasty, down-and-away, 85-mph sweeper, but Giancarlo Stanton ripped a hard grounder off the third-base bag for an RBI single that made it 4-2.
—Mike Digiovanna, Los Angeles Times, 27 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for nasty 
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Michael Hanback, Outdoor Life, 7 Nov. 2024
Reason for Ranking: Yet another solid (and prescient) premise that’s spoiled by a nasty streak and curious jokes about, uh, Abraham Lincoln hitting on Homer.
—Joshua Kurp, Vulture, 4 Nov. 2024
There was something in the water in the filmmaking community at this time where even the nastiest material could be directed with a flourish that would send it down smoothly.
—Declan Gallagher, EW.com, 30 Oct. 2024
Dodgers Dodgers win Game 2, but will Shohei Ohtani injury complicate World Series path?
Oct. 26, 2024
Treinen struck out slugger Aaron Judge with a nasty, down-and-away, 85-mph sweeper, but Giancarlo Stanton ripped a hard grounder off the third-base bag for an RBI single that made it 4-2.
—Mike Digiovanna, Los Angeles Times, 27 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for nasty
Articles Related to nasty
Dictionary Entries Near nasty
Cite this Entry
“Nasty.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nasty. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
nasty
adjective
nas·ty
ˈnas-tē 
nastier; nastiest
1
: very dirty or foul : filthy
2
: morally disgusting or degrading
3
: disagreeable sense 1, unpleasant
nasty weather
4
: spiteful, ill-natured
a nasty temper
a nasty trick
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