nastiness

nastiness — noun

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

1.nounB2
Definition

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

Example

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.

Common collocations
  • sheer nastiness
  • general nastiness
  • the nastiness of the [weather/smell/taste/wound/situation]
Synonyms
Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

the nastiness of [something]

Usage Note

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

Common Mistakes

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.nounB2
Definition

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

Example

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]

Common collocations
  • pure nastiness
  • unnecessary nastiness
  • nastiness towards [someone]
  • full of nastiness
Synonyms
  • 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

Antonyms
  • kindness

    gentle and caring behaviour towards others

  • warmth

    friendliness and affection in behaviour

Grammar Patterns

possesive + nastiness

nastiness towards [someone]

Usage Note

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.

Common Mistakes

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.nounC1
Definition

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

Example

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]

Common collocations
  • gratuitous nastiness
  • nastiness of [language/tone/remarks]
  • such nastiness
  • pure nastiness
Synonyms
  • 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

Antonyms
  • politeness

    behaviour that shows respect for others

  • civility

    formal politeness and courtesy in speech

Grammar Patterns

nastiness of [language/tone/remarks]

Usage Note

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.

Word family

  • nasty
    adjectiveB1
  • nastily
    adverbC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All of these nouns describe something bad, but they differ in strength and register. Unpleasantness is the most neutral and versatile — it can describe anything from a bad smell to an awkward social situation. Awfulness is stronger and more informal, often used for genuinely shocking experiences, such as the awfulness of an accident. Horribleness is similarly informal but slightly less common, carrying a sense of personal distress about an experience. Disagreeableness is more formal and restrained, typically applied to minor annoyances or personality traits rather than major problems. For example: the unpleasantness of the waiting room was mild compared to the awfulness of the treatment itself.

unpleasantness ↗awfulnesshorriblenessdisagreeableness

Common collocations

Adverbs

Phrases

  • full of nastiness
  • a hint of nastiness
  • with nastiness
  • such nastiness

Prepositions

Etymology

Old FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

Formed by adding the suffix "-ness" (from Old English "-nes(s)", used to create abstract nouns from adjectives) to the adjective "nasty." The word "nasty" entered English around the 14th century from Old French "nastre," meaning "strange, bad," which is also related to "naughty." The noun "nastiness" gradually took on the range of meanings from its root: physical unpleasantness, moral badness, and rude behaviour.