nasty
adjectivenouncommon in dialogue
- United Kingdom//ˈnɑː.sti//
- United States//ˈnæs.ti//
- Australia//ˈnaː.sti//
Dirty, filthy.
adjective
- 1
Dirty, filthy.
I really don't have any friends at school Mama Mia. They talk about me all the time. They say my hair's nappy and my clothes are nasty.
- 2
Contemptible, unpleasant (of a person).
Jonathan kept staring at him, till I was afraid he would notice. I feared he might take it ill, he looked so fierce and nasty.
- 3
Objectionable, unpleasant (of a thing); repellent, offensive.
‘It's a nasty trade,’ said Mr. Limbkins, when Gamfield had again stated his wish.
- 4
Indecent or offensive; obscene, lewd.
He said to Mr. Tallboy he thought the headline was a bit hot. And Mr. Tallboy said he had a nasty mind.
We want threesomes, blowjobs, and orgies. That's just the way it is. We want the good girl who's nasty in bed.
- 5
Spiteful, unkind.
She had said: "I love the block button on Twitter. I don't know how people expect to send a nasty comment and not get blocked."
- 6
Awkward, difficult to navigate; dangerous.
There was a nasty period during the First World War when the family's allegiance was called into question - not least because one of the Schroders had been made a baron by the Kaiser.
- 7
Grave or dangerous (of an accident, illness etc.).
Moving into the middle ages, William the Conqueror managed to rout the English and rule the country, then see off numerous plots and assassination attempts, before his horse did for him in a nasty fall, killing him at 60.
- 8
slangFormidable, terrific; wicked.
Etymology
From Middle English nasty, nasti, naxty, naxte (“unclean, filthy”), whence also Early Modern English nasky (“nasty”), of obscure origin. Probably from earlier Middle English *naskty, *naskedy, from Middle English *nasked (“dirty, messy”) + -y, ultimately of North Germanic origin (comparable to Danish nasket (“dirty, foul, unpleasant”), Swedish naskot (“dirty, filthy”), Swedish naskig, naskug (“nasty, dirty, messy”)), themselves all probably related to Proto-Germanic *hnaskuz (“tender, soft”). Likely doublet of nesh and nosh. Cognate with Scots nastie, nestie (“dirty, filthy”). Alternative theories have also been proposed, which include: * From Low German nask (“nasty”) + -y. * Middle Dutch nestich, nistich ("nasty, dirty, unpleasant" > Modern Dutch nestig (“dirty, filthy, unclean; lazy, cranky”)), perhaps ultimately connected to the Scandinavian word above, or related to *nest (“nest”). * From Old French nastre (“lowly, strange”), shortened form of villenastre (“infamous, bad”), from vilein (“villain”) + -astre (pejorative suffix), from Latin -aster. * Other suggestions include Old High German naz (“wet”), hardening of English nesh(y) (“soft”), or alteration of English naughty. * Modern use of the word is sometimes attributed to the popular and often derogatory 19th century American political cartoons of Thomas Nast, but the word predates him.
noun
- 1
informalSomething nasty.
Processed foods are full of aspartame and other nasties.
This video game involves flying through a maze zapping various nasties.
I also urge the regular visual examination of the rectum (anoscopy) for people who engage in rectal sex, for the early detection of rectal warts, hemorrhoids, fissures — all those rectal nasties.
- 2
slangSexual intercourse.
- 3
A video nasty.
In this way, it is hoped that the nasties will be dealt with, and the remainder regularized.
Jones evokes the nasties discursively to brand the Splat Pack as 'authentic outlaws'.
Forms
- plural
- nasties
- comparative
- nastier
- superlative
- nastiest