Meaning of “nasty” in the English Dictionary

English
Contents

"nasty" in English

See all translations

nastyadjective

uk ​ /ˈnɑː.sti/ us ​ /ˈnæs.ti/

B1 bad or very unpleasant:

a nasty shock/surprise
There's a nasty smell in here.
He had a nasty cut above the eye.
She has a nasty habit of picking on people in meetings.

B1 unkind:

Don't be so nasty to your brother - he's four years younger than you!

B2 mainly UK dangerous or violent:

In an emergency you could get out through a window, but it would be a nasty drop.
The situation could turn (= become) nasty at any moment.

› rude or offensive:

She said some really nasty things about him.
have a nasty feeling

› mainly UK to think that something bad is likely to happen or to be true:

I've got a nasty feeling that I forgot to tell Joe I couldn't come.

More examples

Thesaurus: synonyms and related words

nastily
adverb uk ​ /ˈnɑː.stəl.i/ us ​ /ˈnæs.təl.i/

›

He laughed nastily (= unkindly) and walked away.
nastiness
noun [ U ] uk ​ /ˈnɑː.sti.nəs/ us ​ /ˈnæs.ti.nəs/

Idiom(s)

a nasty piece of work

(Definition of “nasty” from the Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

"nasty" in American English

See all translations

nastyadjective

us ​ /ˈnæs·ti/

› mean, unpleasant, or offensive:

He was, to be honest, a nasty man, with never a kind word for anyone.
I got a rather nasty (= severe) cut from the garage door.

(Definition of “nasty” from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

Blogs about "nasty"

A nice, relaxing bath (Adjective order)

by katewoodford,

Translations of “nasty”
 
Need a translator?

Translator tool

Get a quick, free translation!

What is the pronunciation of nasty?
Browse