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
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
The discrepancy has divided voters, stirred up nasty social media exchanges and even inspired an 18-year-old Lakota grad to throw his hat in the district's school board race.
—
Grace Tucker, Cincinnati Enquirer, 29 Oct. 2025
And any school or school district that does try to discriminate, that man right there will probably first send you a nasty gram and then drop the hammer.
—Kimberlee Speakman, PEOPLE, 29 Oct. 2025
The talented quarterback took a nasty shot during the first play of overtime and remained down on the field for several moments before eventually leaving the contest.
—Andrew McCarty, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Oct. 2025
Those nasty peanut butter Halloween chewy candies wrapped in orange wax paper.
—Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 27 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for nasty
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Grace Tucker, Cincinnati Enquirer, 29 Oct. 2025
And any school or school district that does try to discriminate, that man right there will probably first send you a nasty gram and then drop the hammer.
—Kimberlee Speakman, PEOPLE, 29 Oct. 2025
The talented quarterback took a nasty shot during the first play of overtime and remained down on the field for several moments before eventually leaving the contest.
—Andrew McCarty, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Oct. 2025
Those nasty peanut butter Halloween chewy candies wrapped in orange wax paper.
—Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 27 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for nasty
Cite this Entry
“Nasty.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nasty. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
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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