nasty

nasty — adjective

1. very unpleasant, often affecting your senses or your mood in a way that you stro

1.形容詞A2
釋義

very unpleasant, often affecting your senses or your mood in a way that you strongly dislike

例句

The soup had a nasty taste, so I asked the waiter to take it back.

collocation: nasty taste / smell / weather

We had nasty weather all weekend with heavy rain and strong winds.

同義詞
  • unpleasant

    more neutral and weaker in force

  • horrible

    similar strength but broader — can describe people, events, or feelings

  • disgusting

    focuses on physical revulsion rather than general badness

反義詞

文法句型

nasty + noun

be + nasty

用法筆記

Covers a wide range of unpleasant experiences: tastes, smells, weather, injuries, and difficult situations. It is much stronger than 'bad' and closer in force to 'disgusting' or 'horrible'.

常見錯誤

❌The movie was nasty.' (when you simply found it boring).
✅The movie was terrible / boring.
💡'nasty' is too strong for a merely disappointing film; reserve it for things that disgust, upset, or genuinely offend you.

2. behaving or speaking in a cruel, unfriendly way that is intended to hurt someone

2.形容詞B1
釋義

behaving or speaking in a cruel, unfriendly way that is intended to hurt someone's feelings

例句

Yasmin made a nasty remark about Tara's new haircut right in front of her.

pattern: make a nasty remark / comment about

The older children were being nasty to the new student for no reason at all.

同義詞
  • mean

    commoner in everyday speech; less intense than 'nasty'

  • cruel

    stronger — suggests causing pain or suffering

  • spiteful

    emphasises a desire to hurt someone because of anger or resentment

反義詞

文法句型

be + nasty + to + person

nasty + about + person/thing

用法筆記

The subject is typically a person or their words/actions. Stronger than 'unkind' — suggests deliberate intention to hurt, not just thoughtlessness.

常見錯誤

❌She said a nasty comment.
✅She made a nasty comment.
💡the verb with 'comment' and 'remark' is 'make', not 'say'.
❌He was nasty with me.
✅He was nasty to me.
💡the preposition that follows 'nasty' when referring to a person is 'to', not 'with'.

3. dangerous and threatening, with the potential to cause physical harm or a seriou

3.形容詞B1
釋義

dangerous and threatening, with the potential to cause physical harm or a serious fight

例句

A nasty group of men were waiting outside the bar, looking for a fight.

pattern: turn nasty (sudden change to threatening behaviour)

Putri had a nasty fall from her bicycle and broke her wrist quite badly.

同義詞
  • dangerous

    more neutral; lacks the sense of unpleasantness

  • violent

    focuses on physical force rather than threat

  • fierce

    suggests aggressive, wild behaviour often of animals

反義詞

文法句型

nasty + noun

turn / go + nasty

用法筆記

Often used with the verbs 'turn' or 'go' to describe a sudden change from harmless to threatening behaviour (e.g. 'The situation turned nasty.').

常見錯誤

❌He has a very nasty knife.' (meaning 'dangerous').
✅He has a very dangerous / sharp knife.
💡'nasty' does not simply mean 'dangerous'; it implies the object caused harm or was part of a violent incident.

4. rude and offensive, especially about sex or bodily functions, in a way that shoc

4.形容詞B1
釋義

rude and offensive, especially about sex or bodily functions, in a way that shocks or embarrasses people

例句

Bilal told a nasty joke at the dinner table and everyone felt uncomfortable.

collocation: nasty joke / story

Someone had written nasty words on the bathroom wall of the school.

同義詞
  • rude

    broader — can be impolite without being sexual

  • vulgar

    emphasises lack of refinement, especially about sex or the body

  • crude

    suggests lack of sophistication rather than deliberate offensiveness

反義詞

文法句型

nasty + noun (joke / word / language / scene)

用法筆記

Common in phrases like 'nasty joke', 'nasty language', and 'nasty word'. Stronger than 'rude' — suggests deliberately shocking or indecent content, often sexual.

常見錯誤

❌He told a nasty story to his grandmother at her birthday party.' (illogical — would not use this register in a respectful setting).
✅He told a rude joke at the party with his friends.
💡'nasty' language is usually avoided in formal or family settings.

5. used only in the phrase 'have a nasty feeling / suspicion' to describe a worried

5.形容詞B2
釋義

used only in the phrase 'have a nasty feeling / suspicion' to describe a worried thought that something unpleasant is going to happen or is true

例句

I had a nasty feeling that I had left the stove on after leaving the house.

fixed expression: have a nasty feeling that...

Tyler had a nasty suspicion that someone had been reading his private emails.

同義詞
  • uneasy

    describes the feeling itself rather than the suspicion; used as an adjective with 'feel'

  • ominous

    more formal; describes a sign or event rather than a personal feeling

反義詞

文法句型

have a nasty feeling (that)...

have a nasty suspicion (that)...

用法筆記

Only appears in the fixed expressions 'have a nasty feeling' and 'have a nasty suspicion', usually followed by a that-clause. This sense does not occur in other grammatical patterns — you cannot say 'I am nasty that...' or 'It is nasty that...' to express this meaning.

常見錯誤

❌I have a nasty thought that he is lying.
✅I have a nasty suspicion that he is lying.
💡'suspicion' is a fixed collocate here; 'thought' is not used in this pattern with 'nasty'.
❌I feel nasty that something bad will happen.
✅I have a nasty feeling that something bad will happen.
💡use the verb 'have', not 'feel', with this expression.