nasty

English

Etymology

Alteration of earlier nasky (“nasty”), probably of North Germanic origin, akin to Swedish naskug (“nasty, dirty”), Low German nask (“nasty”), Swedish snaskig (“dirty, messy”).

etymological hypotheses

Theories include: Old French nastre (“bad, strange”), shortened form of villenastre (“infamous, bad”), from vilein (“villain”) + -astre (“pejorative suffix”), from Latin term|-aster|lang=la}}. Dutch nestig (“dirty (literally, "like a bird's nest")”) Old High German naz = "wet" Likely reinforced by a Scandinavian source (compare Swedish dialect naskug = "dirty, nasty"). A hardened form of an old word "neshy" = "soft". Variant of "naughty"? See entry for aught/naught in Wikipedia & Wiktionary Modern usage of the word "nasty" is sometimes attributed to the very popular but often derogatory 19th Century American political cartoons of Thomas Nast, but this is inconsistent with its usage long before Mr. Nast's birth in 1840.

Pronunciation

• (RP) IPA: /ˈnɑː.sti/
  • Rhymes: -ɑːsti
• (AusE) IPA: /ˈnaː.sti/
  • Rhymes: -ɑːsti
• (GenAm) IPA: /ˈnæs.ti/

  Audio (US)

  (file)

  • Rhymes: -æsti

Adjective

nasty (comparative nastier, superlative nastiest)

1. Disgusting; physically repellent.

   There's a nasty smell coming from the boiler room.

2. Indecent or offensive.

   There was a nasty message scrawled over the wall.

3. Malicious or spiteful.

   He tells nasty lies.

   She's a nasty woman - she hasn't got an ounce of good in her.

4. Very unpleasant.

   It was a nasty night to venture out.

   A nasty way to die.

   • 1651, Thomas Hobbes, Leviathan: or, The matter, forme & power of a commonwealth, ecclesiasticall and civill:

     In such condition, there is no place for Industry; because the fruit thereof is uncertain: and consequently no Culture of the Earth; no Navigation, nor use of the commodities that may be imported by Sea; no commodious Building; no Instruments of moving, and removing such things as require much force; no Knowledge of the face of the Earth; no account of Time; no Arts; no Letters; no Society; and which is worst of all, continuall feare, and danger of violent death; And the life of man, solitary, poore, nasty, brutish, and short,

5. Grave or dangerous.

   The cyclist had a nasty accident.

Noun

nasty (plural nasties)

1. Something nasty.
2. (euphemistic, preceded by "the") Sexual intercourse.

Derived terms

Terms derived from nasty (noun)

do the nasty

nastygram video nasty

Translations

having or showing a strong or unreasoning desire for revenge

Czech: odporný (cs), ohavný (cs), protivný (cs), sprostý (cs) m.

German: ekelhaft (de), scheußlich (de), boshaft (de)

Anagrams

• antsy, Santy, tansy