Nasty is a word with a few related but different meanings. It can describe someone or something unpleasantcausing a bad feeling; not enjoyable or likable, mean, dirty, hard to deal with, or obsceneoffensively sexual or shocking in a rude way. The exact meaning dependsis determined by; varies according to other conditions on the situation.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-10-12. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Pronunciation
AI-generated pronunciation audio (OpenAI).
Accent: General American English
IPA: /ˈnæsti/
Easy pronunciation: NAS-tee (approximate spelling).
Stress: Stress the first syllable.
Primary sense: unpleasant, offensive, or mean; adjective.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-10-12. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Nasty Meaning
bad, unpleasant, or mean
Part of speech: adjective
Definition: unpleasant, offensive, or mean in a way that affects people, things, or situations
Example: He made a nasty comment about her work.
Synonyms for this meaning:
- awful — Can mean very unpleasant or offensive in this sense.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-10-12. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Other Meanings of Nasty
Meaning 2
hard to deal with
Part of speech: adjective
Definition: exasperatingly difficult to handle or solve
Example: It was a nasty problem to fix.
Synonyms for this meaning:
- tight — Can fit this sense in some contexts, especially when something is difficult or awkward to manage.
Meaning 3
very dirty
Part of speech: adjective
Definition: disgustingly dirty, filthy, or covered with offensive matter
Example: The kitchen was in a nasty state after the party.
Synonyms for this meaning:
- filthy — A strong match for the dirty sense.
- foul — Can mean very dirty or offensive in this sense.
Meaning 4
obscene or vulgar
Part of speech: adjective
Definition: characterized by obscenity
Example: He told a nasty joke that made everyone uncomfortable.
Synonyms for this meaning:
- cruddy — Can be used for crude or low-quality language, though it is less standard.
- filthy — Used for obscene language or content.
- foul — Can mean obscene in this sense.
- smutty — A close match when speech, jokes, or material are sexually obscene or dirty.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: inaccurate — correction needed. Checked: 2026-10-12. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Nasty Synonyms
Similar Meaning
- awful
hard to deal with
- tight
very dirty
- filthy
- foul
obscene or vulgar
- cruddy
- filthy
- foul
- smutty
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: uncertain — manual review needed. Checked: 2026-10-12. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Common Mistakes
- Using nasty only to mean dirty; it can also mean unpleasant, mean, hard to deal with, or obscene.
- Assuming every synonym works for every sense. For example, filthy fits the dirty or obscene senses, but not the meaning 'unpleasant' in general.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-10-12. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does nasty mean?
Nasty usually means unpleasant or mean, but it can also mean very dirty, hard to deal with, or obscene depending on the context.
What is a simple synonym for nasty?
For the main sense, awful is a simple synonym. Other senses include filthy for the dirty meaning and smutty for the obscene meaning.
Is nasty a positive word?
No. It is normally negative and suggests something unpleasant, offensive, dirty, difficult, or vulgar.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-10-12. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.