Antonyms for nasty
| Grammar : Adj |
| Spell : nas-tee |
| Phonetic Transcription : ˈnæs ti |
Definition of nasty
Origin :- c.1400, "foul, filthy, dirty, unclean," of unknown origin; perhaps [Barnhart] from Old French nastre "miserly, envious, malicious, spiteful," shortened form of villenastre "infamous, bad," from vilein "villain" + -astre, pejorative suffix, from Latin -aster.
- Alternative etymology [OED] is from Dutch nestig "dirty," literally "like a bird's nest." Likely reinforced in either case by a Scandinavian source (cf. Swedish dialectal naskug "dirty, nasty"), which also might be the source of the Middle English word. Of weather, from 1630s; of things generally, "unpleasant, offensive," from 1705. Of people, "ill-tempered," from 1825. Noun meaning "something nasty" is from 1935. Related: Nastily; nastiness.
- adj disgusting, offensive
- adj indecent, smutty
- adj bad-tempered, mean
- adj injurious, dangerous
- The adult who is nasty is not allowed to do what he likes: neither can the child who likes to be nasty.
- Extract from : « A Treatise on Parents and Children » by George Bernard Shaw
- Miss Georgie was, without doubt, in a nasty temper that night.
- Extract from : « Good Indian » by B. M. Bower
- It's nasty to have the dirt jumpin' up right where you've got to walk.
- Extract from : « Southern Lights and Shadows » by Various
- They've been just gorging chickens this last year—nasty beasts!
- Extract from : « The Coryston Family » by Mrs. Humphry Ward
- I hoped, however, that diplomacy might still save us all sorts of a nasty row.
- Extract from : « Ruggles of Red Gap » by Harry Leon Wilson
- That was too nasty a morsel for even this monster to swallow; so it let go its hold of the boat.
- Extract from : « Aino Folk-Tales » by Basil Hall Chamberlain
- But now, since I have borne him this nasty child, he loves it more than he does me.
- Extract from : « Aino Folk-Tales » by Basil Hall Chamberlain
- It is as much as to say that you would write one of the nasty kind of book, if you dared.
- Extract from : « People of Position » by Stanley Portal Hyatt
- It was a nasty trick for Ida to play you, although just what I should have expected from her or May.
- Extract from : « People of Position » by Stanley Portal Hyatt
- He was not less shocked by the nasty stories that circulated with regard to her.
- Extract from : « The Fortune of the Rougons » by Emile Zola
Synonyms for nasty
- abusive
- annoying
- awful
- bad
- beastly
- blue
- bum
- coarse
- critical
- cruel
- damaging
- despicable
- dirty
- disagreeable
- distasteful
- evil
- fierce
- filthy
- foul
- gross
- grubby
- harmful
- hateful
- hellish
- horrible
- horrid
- icky
- immodest
- immoral
- improper
- impure
- indecorous
- indelicate
- lascivious
- lewd
- licentious
- loathsome
- lousy
- malevolent
- malicious
- malign
- malignant
- malodorous
- mephitic
- murderous
- nauseating
- noisome
- noxious
- objectionable
- obnoxious
- obscene
- odious
- ornery
- outrageous
- painful
- poison
- poisonous
- polluted
- pornographic
- raunchy
- repellent
- repugnant
- repulsive
- revolting
- ribald
- rough
- ruthless
- sarcastic
- scatological
- serious
- severe
- shameful
- sickening
- soiled
- sordid
- spiteful
- squalid
- stinking
- tough
- ugly
- unappetizing
- unclean
- uncleanly
- ungodly
- unholy
- unkind
- unpleasant
- unseemly
- vicious
- vile
- vulgar
- wicked
- X-rated
- yucky
Based on : Thesaurus.com - Gutenberg.org - Dictionary.com - Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019