requiring exceptional skill or caution in performance or handling
given the high-ranking people involved, it will be a nasty job to hammer out a compromise
How does the adjective nasty differ from other similar words?
Some common synonyms of nasty are dirty, filthy, foul, and squalid. While all these words mean "conspicuously unclean or impure," nasty applies to what is actually foul or is repugnant to one expecting freshness, cleanliness, or sweetness; in practice, however, nasty is often weakened to the point of being no more than a synonym of unpleasant or disagreeable. When used figuratively, nasty implies a peculiarly offensive unpleasantness.
it's a nasty job to clean up after a sick cat
had a nasty fall
his answer gave her a nasty shock
a stand-up comedian known for nasty humor
When is dirty a more appropriate choice than nasty?
The words dirty and nasty are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, dirty emphasizes the presence of dirt more than an emotional reaction to it or, figuratively, stresses meanness or despicableness.
a dirty littered street
don't ask me to do your dirty work
When could filthy be used to replace nasty?
Although the words filthy and nasty have much in common, filthy carries a strong suggestion of offensiveness and typically of gradually accumulated dirt that begrimes and besmears. Figuratively, it can also describe disgusting obscenity.
a stained greasy floor, utterly filthy
filthy street language
When would foul be a good substitute for nasty?
While in some cases nearly identical to nasty, foul implies extreme offensiveness and an accumulation of what is rotten or stinking; it can also describe, for example, loathsome behavior.
a foul-smelling open sewer
a foul story of lust and greed
When might squalid be a better fit than nasty?
In some situations, the words squalid and nasty are roughly equivalent. However, squalid adds to the idea of dirtiness and filth that of slovenly neglect. Distinctively, its figurative use implies sordidness as well as baseness and dirtiness.
squalid slums
engaged in a series of squalid affairs
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of nastyTop and bottom line miss, paired with a nasty cut to its full-year EPS outlook.—
Jim Cramer,
CNBC,
25 Aug. 2026 But that’s not stopped the current and former mayors – who duked it out in what many describe as the nastiest local election in recent history – from going at it again.—
Denise Crosby,
Chicago Tribune,
23 Aug. 2026 In addition, the short-half-life isotopes tend to get discarded by the process, and there's also the need to keep the streams of pure plutonium from concentrating, or things could get very nasty.—
David Szondy
august 22,
New Atlas,
22 Aug. 2026 And when the Stray Cats and the Blasters brought their rockabilly revivals to the mainstream in the Eighties, the Cramps were just too weird and nasty for primetime.—
Kory Grow,
Rolling Stone,
21 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for nasty
The seventh-round rookie threw an ugly interception in the first quarter, while backpedaling and off his back foot.
—
Sam McDowell,
Kansas City Star,
29 Aug. 2026
Several leading Democrats, including Senator Elissa Slotkin of Michigan and House Speaker Hakeem Jeffries, issued statements denouncing Piker’s ugly warning to the Jews as a barely veiled anti-Semitic threat.
The Tarrant County decorum policy prohibits personal attacks, impertinent, profane, obscene, or slanderous remarks as well as threatening, disruptive or unruly behavior.
—
Rachel Royster,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
24 Aug. 2026
Starks said the obscene gesture was meant as a joke to teammates.
Activewear After sweating it out in your beloved activewear, avoid using the hotter temperatures in the washing machine to sanitize and remove unpleasant odors.
—
Ashlyn Needham,
Southern Living,
26 Aug. 2026
The mediocre screen was an unpleasant surprise given that this thing advertised 100 percent sRGB gamut coverage when it was announced and on its product page for many weeks (the Internet Archive captures it here).
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