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nasty
5 dictionary results for: nasty
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
nas·ty       [nas-tee] Pronunciation Key adjective, -ti·er, -ti·est, noun, plural -ties.
–adjective
1.physically filthy; disgustingly unclean: a nasty pigsty of a room.
2.offensive to taste or smell; nauseating.
3.offensive; objectionable: a nasty habit.
4.vicious, spiteful, or ugly: a nasty dog; a nasty rumor.
5.bad or hard to deal with, encounter, undergo, etc.; dangerous; serious: a nasty cut; a nasty accident.
6.very unpleasant or disagreeable: nasty weather.
7.morally filthy; obscene; indecent: a nasty word.
8.Slang. formidable: The young pitcher has a good fast ball and a nasty curve.
–noun
9.Informal. a nasty person or thing.

[Origin: 1350–1400; ME < ?]

nas·ti·ly, adverb
nas·ti·ness, noun

1. dirty, foul, loathsome. 2. sickening, repulsive, repellent. 6 stormy, inclement. 7. smutty, pornographic.
1. clean, pure.
American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
nas·ty       (nās'tē)  Pronunciation Key 
adj.   nas·ti·er, nas·ti·est
    1. Disgustingly dirty.
    2. Physically repellent.
  1. Morally offensive; indecent. See Synonyms at offensive.
  2. Malicious; spiteful: "Will he say nasty things at my funeral?" (Ezra Pound).
  3. Very unpleasant or annoying: nasty weather; a nasty trick.
  4. Painful or dangerous; grave: a nasty accident.
  5. Exasperatingly difficult to solve or handle: a nasty puzzle; a nasty problem.

n.   pl. nas·ties
One that is nasty: "It is the business of museums to present us with nasties as well as with fine things" (Country Life).


[Middle English nasti, possibly alteration of Old French nastre, bad, short for villenastre : vilein, bad; see villain + -astre, pejorative suff. (from Latin -aster).]

nas'ti·ly adv., nas'ti·ness n.
Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
nasty 
c.1400, "foul, filthy, dirty, unclean," perhaps from O.Fr. nastre "bad, strange," shortened form of villenastre "infamous, bad," from vilein "villain" + -astre, pejorative suffix, from L. -aster. Alternate etymology is from Du. nestig "dirty," lit. "like a bird's nest." Likely reinforced by a Scand. source (cf. Swed. dial. naskug "dirty, nasty"). Of weather, from 1634; of things generally, "unpleasant, offensive," from 1705. Of people, "ill-tempered," from 1825.

WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This
nasty

adjective
1. offensive or even (of persons) malicious; "in a nasty mood"; "a nasty accident"; "a nasty shock"; "a nasty smell"; "a nasty trick to pull"; "Will he say nasty things at my funeral?"- Ezra Pound [ant: nice
2. exasperatingly difficult to handle or circumvent; "a nasty problem"; "a good man to have on your side in a tight situation" 
3. characterized by obscenity; "had a filthy mouth"; "foul language"; "smutty jokes" [syn: cruddy
4. disgustingly dirty; filled or smeared with offensive matter; "as filthy as a pigsty"; "a foul pond"; "a nasty pigsty of a room" [syn: filthy

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Nasty

Nas"ty\, a. [Compar. Nastier; superl. Nastiest.] [For older nasky; cf. dial. Sw. naskug, nasket.]

1. Offensively filthy; very dirty, foul, or defiled; disgusting; nauseous.

2. Hence, loosely: Offensive; disagreeable; unpropitious; wet; drizzling; as, a nasty rain, day, sky.

3. Characterized by obcenity; indecent; indelicate; gross; filthy.

Syn: Nasty, Filthy, Foul, Dirty.

Usage: Anything nasty is usually wet or damp as well as filthy or dirty, and disgusts by its stickness or odor; but filthy and foul imply that a thing is filled or covered with offensive matter, while dirty describes it as defiled or sullied with dirt of any kind; as, filthy clothing, foul vapors, etc.

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