Basic+ Word of the Day: nasty

nasty (adjective)

Kids can be nasty.

Nasty means ‘highly offensive or disgusting.’

• Ella's husband has the nasty habit of eating with his mouth open.
• The nasty smell of yesterday's garbage filled the room.
• "I don't want any fried liver; it's nasty!"

Nasty also means ‘indecent or obscene.’

• The teenagers never use nasty language in front of their parents.

Nasty can also mean ‘angry, threatening or ugly.’

• The nasty boys would not let the other children play in the playground.
• The neighbors' nasty dog barked every time Cathy walked by.

Did you know?

“Such a nasty woman,” was a comment that Donald Trump made about Hillary Clinton during the 2016 US presidential campaign. The expression, “nasty woman” went viral and launched a feminist movement. Read about it here.

In pop culture

Watch Janet Jackson’s music video “Nasty” and read the lyrics here.

There are other meanings of nasty.