Dirty vs Nasty - What's the difference?

In informal terms the difference between dirty and nasty

is that dirty is used as an intensifier, especially in conjunction with "great" while nasty is something nasty.

As adjectives the difference between dirty and nasty

is that dirty is unclean; covered with or containing unpleasant substances such as dirt or grime while nasty is Dirty, filthy.

As an adverb dirty

is in a dirty manner.

As a verb dirty

is to make (something) dirty.

As a noun nasty is

something nasty.

dirty

English

Adjective

(er)

Unclean; covered with or containing unpleasant substances such as dirt or grime.

That makes one unclean; corrupting, infecting.

Morally unclean; obscene or indecent, especially sexually.

Dishonourable; violating accepted standards or rules.

* {{quote-magazine, date=2013-06-21, author=(Oliver Burkeman)

, volume=189, issue=2, page=27, magazine=(The Guardian Weekly) , title= The tao of tech , passage=The dirty secret of the internet is that all this distraction and interruption is immensely profitable.

Corrupt, illegal, or improper.

Out of tune.

Of color, discolored by impurities.

(computing) Containing data which need to be written back to a larger memory.

(slang) Carrying illegal drugs among one's possessions or inside of one's bloodstream.

(informal) Used as an intensifier, especially in conjunction with "great".

Sleety; gusty; stormy.

* M. Arnold

Storms of wind, clouds of dust, an angry, dirty sea.

* (Douglas Adams),

Rain type 17 was a dirty blatter battering against his windscreen so hard that it didn't make much odds whether he had his wipers on or off.

Synonyms

* (covered with or containing dirt) filthy, soiled, sordid, unclean, unwashed; see also * (violating accepted standards or rules) cheating, foul, unsporting, unsportsmanlike * (obtained illegally or by improper means) ill-gotten * (considered morally corrupt) base, dishonest, dishonorable, filthy, despicable, lousy, mean, sordid, unethical, vile * (considered obscene or indecent) indecent, lewd, obscene, raunchy, salacious * dingy, dullish, muddied, muddy

Antonyms

* (covered with or containing dirt) clean * (violating accepted standards or rules) sportsmanlike * bright, pure

Derived terms

* dirtiness * dirty bomb * dirty code * dirty dance * dirty dancing * dirty girl * dirty grease * Dirty Harry * dirty joke * dirty laundry * dirty look * dirty magazine * dirty mouth * dirty old man * dirty rice * dirty Sanchez * dirty talk * dirty weather * dirty word * dirty work * dirty wound * do someone dirty * filthy dirty * quick-and-dirty * quick and dirty

Adverb

(en adverb)

In a dirty manner.

Synonyms

* (in a dirty manner) deceptively, dirtily, indecently, underhandedly

Derived terms

* talk dirty

Verb

(en-verb)

To make (something) dirty.

To stain or tarnish (somebody) with dishonor.

To debase by distorting the real nature of (something).

To become soiled.

Synonyms

* (to make dirty) soil, taint; see also * (to stain or tarnish with dishonor) sully

nasty

English

Adjective

(er)

*2006 , Marie Fontaine, The Chronicles of my Ghetto Street Volume One , p. 156:

*:I really don't have any friends at school Mama Mia. They talk about me all the time. They say my hair's nappy and my clothes are nasty .

*{{quote-magazine, title=Towards the end of poverty

, date=2013-06-01, volume=407, issue=8838, page=11, magazine=(The Economist) citation , passage=But poverty’s scourge is fiercest below $1.25 (the average of the 15 poorest countries’ own poverty lines, measured in 2005 dollars and adjusted for differences in purchasing power): people below that level live lives that are poor, nasty , brutish and short.}}

Contemptible, unpleasant (of a person).

*1897 , (Bram Stoker), Dracula :

*:Jonathan kept staring at him, till I was afraid he would notice. I feared he might take it ill, he looked so fierce and nasty .

Objectionable, unpleasant (of a thing); repellent, offensive.

*1838 , (Charles Dickens), Oliver Twist :

*:‘It's a nasty trade,’ said Mr. Limbkins, when Gamfield had again stated his wish.

Indecent or offensive; obscene, lewd.

*1933 , (Dorothy L Sayers), Murder Must Advertise :

*:He said to Mr. Tallboy he thought the headline was a bit hot. And Mr. Tallboy said he had a nasty mind.

*2009 , Okera H, Be Your Priority, Not His Option , Mill City Press 2009, p. 45:

*:We want threesomes, blowjobs, and orgies. That's just the way it is. We want the good girl who's nasty in bed.

Spiteful, unkind.

*2012 , The Guardian , 3 Jun 2012:

*:She had said: "I love the block button on Twitter. I don't know how people expect to send a nasty comment and not get blocked."

*2007 , The Observer , 5 Aug 2007:

*:There was a nasty period during the First World War when the family's allegiance was called into question - not least because one of the Schroders had been made a baron by the Kaiser.

*2012 , James Ball, The Guardian , 2 Mar 2012:

*:Moving into the middle ages, William the Conqueror managed to rout the English and rule the country, then see off numerous plots and assassination attempts, before his horse did for him in a nasty fall, killing him at 60.

Noun

(nasties)

(lb) Something nasty.

Processed foods are full of aspartame and other nasties .

This video game involves flying through a maze zapping various nasties .

Sexual intercourse.

Derived terms

* do the nasty * nastygram * video nasty

Anagrams

* (l), (l), (l)