nastiness

nastiness — noun

1. the fact or condition of something being extremely unpleasant, of low quality, o

1.名詞B2
釋義

the fact or condition of something being extremely unpleasant, of low quality, or likely to cause discomfort

例句

The nastiness of the winter storm kept everyone inside for two days.

collocation: nastiness of [weather]

Lucía could not drink the tea because of the nastiness of the tap water.

同義詞
反義詞

文法句型

the nastiness of [something]

用法筆記

Typically uncountable. Focuses on the physical unpleasantness of things (weather, tastes, smells, injuries, situations) rather than on human behaviour or character.

常見錯誤

❌The nastiness weather made us stay inside.
✅The nasty weather made us stay inside.
💡"Nastiness" is a noun and cannot directly modify another noun; use the adjective "nasty" instead.

2. behaviour or comments that are deliberately unkind or cruel, or a person's tende

2.名詞B2
釋義

behaviour or comments that are deliberately unkind or cruel, or a person's tendency to act in such a way

例句

The nastiness of the online comments was so cruel that the singer left social media.

collocation: nastiness of [comments/remarks]

Ayana could not understand the nastiness behind her classmates' cold treatment of the new student.

collocation: nastiness behind [behaviour]

同義詞
  • meanness

    less formal; focuses on the person's character

  • cruelty

    stronger; implies a deliberate intent to cause suffering

  • malice

    more formal; suggests ill-will and a desire to harm

  • spite

    more specific; pettiness combined with ill-will

反義詞
  • kindness

    gentle and caring behaviour towards others

  • warmth

    friendliness and affection in behaviour

文法句型

possesive + nastiness

nastiness towards [someone]

用法筆記

Often appears with possessive determiners (his nastiness, her nastiness) to describe a person's character or habitual behaviour. Frequently found in contexts about bullying, online abuse, and interpersonal conflict.

常見錯誤

❌She treated us with a nastiness.
✅She treated us with nastiness.
💡"Nastiness" is uncountable and does not take the indefinite article "a."

3. a way of speaking or writing that is intentionally rude and offensive, especiall

3.名詞C1
釋義

a way of speaking or writing that is intentionally rude and offensive, especially where polite behaviour is normally expected

例句

The customer's nastiness towards the waiter led to a formal complaint from the restaurant manager.

collocation: nastiness towards [person] (rude speech)

Élise was embarrassed by the nastiness of the language used during the political debate.

collocation: nastiness of [language/speech]

同義詞
  • rudeness

    more general and less intense than nastiness

  • offensiveness

    focuses on the effect of the language on others

  • insolence

    more formal; implies disrespect towards authority

  • vulgarity

    focuses on obscene or coarse language specifically

反義詞
  • politeness

    behaviour that shows respect for others

  • civility

    formal politeness and courtesy in speech

文法句型

nastiness of [language/tone/remarks]

用法筆記

Frequently followed by "of" (the nastiness of the language) or used with "towards" to indicate the target. Emphasises a breach of politeness norms rather than emotional cruelty — distinguish from sense 2, which focuses on deliberate cruelty and malice.