different between terrible vs nasty
terrible
English
Etymology
From Middle English terrible, from Old French, from Latin terribilis (“frightful”), from terre? (“I frighten, terrify, alarm; I deter by terror, scare (away)”). Compare terror, deter.
Pronunciation
- (UK) IPA(key): /?t?.??.bl?/, /?t?.??.bl?/
- Homophone: tearable, in some accents
Adjective
terrible (comparative terribler or more terrible, superlative terriblest or most terrible)
- Dreadful; causing terror, alarm and fear; awesome
- Formidable, powerful.
- 1883: Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island
- […] and there was even a party of the younger men who pretended to admire him, calling him a "true sea-dog," and "real old salt," and such-like names, and saying there was the sort of man that made England terrible at sea.
- 1883: Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island
- Intense; extreme in degree or extent.
- Unpleasant; disagreeable.
- Very bad; lousy.
Synonyms
- See also Thesaurus:frightening
Antonyms
- (very bad): excellent
Adverb
terrible (comparative more terrible, superlative most terrible)
- (colloquial, dialect) In a terrible way; to a terrible extent; terribly; awfully.
Related terms
Translations
Further reading
- terrible in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
- terrible in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
Anagrams
- treblier
Catalan
Pronunciation
- (Balearic, Central) IPA(key): /t??ri.bl?/
- (Valencian) IPA(key): /te?ri.ble/
Adjective
terrible (masculine and feminine plural terribles)
- terrible (causing fear)
- terrible (formidable, intense)
French
Etymology
From Latin terribilis
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /t?.?ibl/
Adjective
terrible (plural terribles)
- (all senses) terrible
- (colloquial) great, excellent
Derived terms
- enfant terrible
Related terms
- terreur
- terriblement
- terrifier
Further reading
- “terrible” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).
Spanish
Etymology
From Latin terribilis. Cognate with English terrible.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /te?rible/, [t?e?ri.??le]
- Hyphenation: te?rri?ble
Adjective
terrible (plural terribles)
- terrible, awful, horrible (very bad)
- appalling (shocking, causing consternation)
- terrific (very great or intense)
Derived terms
- terribilísimo
- terriblemente
Related terms
- terror
Further reading
- “terrible” in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014.
terrible From the web:
- what terrible thing it was
- what terrible mean
- when terrible things happen
- when something terrible happens
- what is the terrible awful thing in the help
nasty
English
Etymology
From Middle English nasty, nasti, naxty, naxte (“unclean, filthy”), probably from Old Norse *nask- +? -y, whence also Early Modern English nasky (“nasty”). Compare Swedish naskig, naskug (“nasty, dirty, messy”), Swedish and Danish nasket (“dirty, foul, unpleasant”). Compare also Low German nask (“nasty”).
Alternative theories include:
- From Old French nastre (“bad, strange”), shortened form of villenastre (“infamous, bad”), from vilein (“villain”) + -astre (pejorative suffix), from Latin -aster.
- Middle Dutch nestich, nistich ("nasty, dirty, unpleasant"; > Modern Dutch nestig (“dirty, filthy, unclean”)), perhaps ultimately connected to the Scandinavian word above.
- Other suggestions include Old High German naz (“wet”), hardening of English nesh(y) (“soft”), or alteration of English naughty.
- Modern use of the word is sometimes attributed to the popular and often derogatory 19th century American political cartoons of Thomas Nast, but the word predates him.
Pronunciation
- (AusE) IPA(key): /?na?.sti/
- Rhymes: -??sti
- (UK) IPA(key): /?n??.sti/
- Rhymes: -??sti
- (US) IPA(key): /?næs.ti/
- Rhymes: -æsti
Adjective
nasty (comparative nastier, superlative nastiest)
- (now chiefly US) Dirty, filthy. [from 14th c.]
- 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.
- 2006, Marie Fontaine, The Chronicles of my Ghetto Street Volume One, p. 156:
- Contemptible, unpleasant (of a person). [from 15th c.]
- 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.
- 1897, Bram Stoker, Dracula:
- Objectionable, unpleasant (of a thing); repellent, offensive. [from 16th c.]
- 1838, Charles Dickens, Oliver Twist:
- ‘It's a nasty trade,’ said Mr. Limbkins, when Gamfield had again stated his wish.
- 1838, Charles Dickens, Oliver Twist:
- Indecent or offensive; obscene, lewd. [from 17th c.]
- 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.
- 1933, Dorothy L Sayers, Murder Must Advertise:
- Spiteful, unkind. [from 19th c.]
- 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."
- 2012, The Guardian, 3 Jun 2012:
- (chiefly Britain) Awkward, difficult to navigate; dangerous. [from 19th c.]
- 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.
- 2007, The Observer, 5 Aug 2007:
- (chiefly Britain) Grave or dangerous (of an accident, illness etc.). [from 19th c.]
- 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.
- 2012, James Ball, The Guardian, 2 Mar 2012:
- (slang, chiefly US) Formidable, terrific; wicked. [from 20th c.]
Translations
Derived terms
- nastygram
Noun
nasty (plural nasties)
- (informal) Something nasty.
- (euphemistic, slang, preceded by "the") Sexual intercourse.
- A video nasty.
- 1984, ThirdWay (volume 7, number 5, page 17)
- In this way, it is hoped that the nasties will be dealt with, and the remainder regularized.
- 1984, ThirdWay (volume 7, number 5, page 17)
Derived terms
- do the nasty
- video nasty
References
Anagrams
- Ansty, Santy, Tansy, Yants, antsy, tansy
nasty From the web:
- what nasty means
- what nasty things to say
- what nastya
- what nasty things are in hot dogs
- what nasty c said about eminem
- what does nasty mean
- what does nasty nasty mean
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