Nasty vs. Gross — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman — Updated on November 4, 2023
Nasty refers to something unpleasant, potentially harmful, or morally offensive. Gross typically means something extremely unpleasant to the senses, especially sight or smell.
Difference Between Nasty and Gross
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Nasty can describe something that is unpleasant and can cause discomfort or disgust, often implying malice or harmfulness. It might be used to describe a mean comment, a foul weather condition, or a filthy room. Gross, however, leans more towards describing something that is repulsive, especially to the senses. It's the word you'd use for things like rotten food, graphic images, or the feeling of something slimy.
In terms of behavior, nasty can refer to actions or attitudes that are spiteful or mean-spirited. Someone might be called nasty if they are behaving in a cruel way. Gross, on the other hand, would be used to describe actions that are crude or indecent, such as making repulsive gestures or telling vulgar jokes, which are less about malice and more about being offensively improper.
When talking about physical experiences, nasty often implies a degree of intensity or severity that gross does not necessarily carry. You might describe a serious injury as nasty, whereas gross would be more likely used to describe something that causes strong revulsion, like seeing the injury's graphic details.
Nasty can also have a moral dimension, referring to things that are ethically wrong or corrupt. For instance, one might refer to a scandal as a nasty business. Gross does not typically carry a moral implication; it stays within the realm of causing strong disgust, often through a visceral reaction to sensory input.
Nasty has a certain flexibility, allowing it to be used metaphorically to describe anything generally unpleasant or undesirable, such as "a nasty surprise." Gross, while it can be used in a range of contexts, usually keeps close to its core meaning related to eliciting a strong, negative physical reaction, such as "a gross miscalculation" still evoking the sense of something substantially unpleasant.
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Comparison Chart
Definition
Unpleasant, harmful, or morally offensive
Extremely unpleasant, revolting
Usage Context
Can be moral, physical, or social
Primarily physical or sensory
Connotation
Spiteful, harmful, intense
Crude, indecent, repulsive
Severity
May imply something serious or harmful
Implies something that causes revulsion
Emotional Response
Anger, offense, or discomfort
Disgust or strong aversion
Compare with Definitions
Nasty
Disagreeably dirty or filthy.
The room was left in a nasty state after the party.
Gross
Extremely coarse or vulgar.
His joke was too gross to be funny.
Nasty
Behaving in a mean or hostile way.
The argument turned nasty when insults were exchanged.
Gross
Total, complete, or glaringly obvious.
It was a gross underestimate of the time needed for the project.
Nasty
Morally offensive or indecent.
The book was banned for its nasty content.
Gross
Extremely overweight or obese.
He described his unhealthy eating habits as gross.
Nasty
Very bad or unpleasant
Plastic bags burn with a nasty, acrid smell
Dad's had a nasty accident
Gross
Pertaining to overall figures or amounts, without deductions.
Her gross salary is higher before taxes are taken out.
Nasty
Behaving in an unpleasant or spiteful way
Harry was a nasty, foul-mouthed old devil
Gross
Exclusive of deductions; total
Gross profits.
Nasty
Damaging or harmful
A nasty, vicious-looking hatchet
Gross
Unmitigated in any way; utter
Gross incompetence.
Nasty
An unpleasant or harmful person or thing
A water conditioner to neutralize chlorine and other nasties
Gross
So obvious or conspicuous as to cause or heighten offense
Gross injustice.
Nasty
Disgusting or repellent
A nasty odor rising from the garbage can.
Gross
Brutishly coarse, as in behavior; crude
"It is futile to expect a hungry and squalid population to be anything but violent and gross" (Thomas H. Huxley).
Nasty
Unpleasantly cold or wet
Nasty weather.
Gross
Disgusting or offensive
Don't you think slugs are gross? He told a gross joke.
Nasty
(Archaic) Dirty; filthy.
Gross
Overweight; corpulent
"Sally is fat. She is gross. She must weigh twelve stone and more" (Margaret Drabble).
Nasty
Morally offensive or indecent
A nasty film.
Gross
On a large scale; not fine or detailed
Gross anatomical similarities.
Gross motor skills.
Nasty
Unpleasant or annoying
A nasty habit.
Gross
Broad; general
The gross necessities of life.
Nasty
Mean or spiteful
Stop being nasty to each other.
Gross
Pl. gross·es The entire body or amount, as of income, before necessary deductions have been made.
Nasty
Painful or dangerous; grave
A nasty accident.
Gross
Pl. gross Abbr. gr. or gro. A group of 144 items; 12 dozen.
Nasty
Exasperatingly difficult to solve or handle
A nasty puzzle.
A nasty problem.
Gross
To earn as a total income or profit before deductions
The store grossed $10,000 last month.
Nasty
One that is nasty
"It is the business of museums to present us with nasties as well as with fine things" (Country Life).
Gross
(of behaviour considered to be wrong) Highly or conspicuously offensive.
A gross mistake;
Gross injustice;
Gross negligence; a gross insult
Nasty
Dirty, filthy.
Gross
(of an amount) Excluding any deductions; including all associated amounts.
Gross domestic product; gross income; gross weight
Nasty
Contemptible, unpleasant (of a person).
Gross
Seen without a microscope (usually for a tissue or an organ); at a large scale; not detailed.
Gross anatomy
Nasty
Objectionable, unpleasant (of a thing); repellent, offensive.
Gross
Causing disgust.
I threw up all over the bed. It was totally gross.
Nasty
Indecent or offensive; obscene, lewd.
Gross
Lacking refinement in behaviour or manner; offending a standard of morality.
Nasty
Spiteful, unkind.
Gross
(of a product) Lacking refinement; not of high quality.
Nasty
Awkward, difficult to navigate; dangerous.
Gross
(of a person) Heavy in proportion to one's height; having a lot of excess flesh.
Nasty
Grave or dangerous (of an accident, illness etc.).
Gross
Difficult or impossible to see through.
Nasty
Formidable, terrific; wicked.
Gross
(archaic) Not sensitive in perception or feeling.
Nasty
(informal) Something nasty.
Processed foods are full of aspartame and other nasties.
This video game involves flying through a maze zapping various nasties.
Gross
(obsolete) Easy to perceive.
Nasty
Sexual intercourse.
Gross
Twelve dozen = 144.
Nasty
A video nasty.
Gross
The total nominal earnings or amount, before taxes, expenses, exceptions or similar are deducted. That which remains after all deductions is called net.
Nasty
Offensively filthy; very dirty, foul, or defiled; disgusting; nauseous.
Gross
The bulk, the mass, the masses.
Nasty
Hence, loosely: Offensive; disagreeable; unpropitious; wet; drizzling; as, a nasty rain, day, sky.
Gross
(transitive) To earn money, not including expenses.
The movie grossed three million on the first weekend.
Nasty
Characterized by obscenity; indecent; indelicate; gross; filthy.
Gross
Great; large; bulky; fat; of huge size; excessively large.
A gross body of horse under the Duke.
Nasty
Vicious; offensively ill-tempered; insultingly mean; spiteful; as, a nasty disposition.
Gross
Coarse; rough; not fine or delicate.
Nasty
Difficult to deal with; troublesome; as, he fell of his bike and got a nasty bruise on his knee.
Gross
Not easily aroused or excited; not sensitive in perception or feeling; dull; witless.
Tell her of things that no gross ear can hear.
Nasty
Offensive or even (of persons) malicious;
In a nasty mood
A nasty accident
A nasty shock
A nasty smell
A nasty trick to pull
Will he say nasty things at my funeral?
Gross
Expressing, or originating in, animal or sensual appetites; hence, coarse, vulgar, low, obscene, or impure.
The terms which are delicate in one age become gross in the next.
Nasty
Exasperatingly difficult to handle or circumvent;
A nasty problem
A good man to have on your side in a tight situation
Gross
Disgusting; repulsive; highly offensive; as, a gross remark.
Nasty
Thoroughly unpleasant;
Filthy (or foul or nasty or vile) weather we're having
Gross
Thick; dense; not attenuated; as, a gross medium.
Nasty
Characterized by obscenity;
Had a filthy mouth
Foul language
Smutty jokes
Gross
Great; palpable; serious; vagrant; shameful; as, a gross mistake; gross injustice; gross negligence.
Nasty
Disgustingly dirty; filled or smeared with offensive matter;
As filthy as a pigsty
A foul pond
A nasty pigsty of a room
Gross
Whole; entire; total; without deduction; as, the gross sum, or gross amount, the gross weight; - opposed to net.
Nasty
Severe or intense, especially of weather.
They were caught in a nasty storm while sailing.
Gross
The main body; the chief part, bulk, or mass.
For the gross of the people, they are considered as a mere herd of cattle.
Nasty
Likely to cause harm or injury.
The chemicals in the lab are nasty if mishandled.
Gross
The number of twelve dozen; twelve times twelve; as, a gross of bottles; ten gross of pens.
Gross
Twelve dozen
Gross
The entire amount of income before any deductions are made
Gross
Earn before taxes, expenses, etc.
Gross
Before any deductions;
Gross income
Gross
Visible to the naked eye (especially of rocks and anatomical features)
Gross
Of general aspects or broad distinctions;
The gross details of the structure appear reasonable
Gross
Repellently fat;
A bald porcine old man
Gross
Conspicuously and outrageously bad or reprehensible;
A crying shame
An egregious lie
Flagrant violation of human rights
A glaring error
Gross ineptitude
Gross injustice
Rank treachery
Gross
Without qualification; used informally as (often pejorative) intensifiers;
An arrant fool
A complete coward
A consummate fool
A double-dyed villain
Gross negligence
A perfect idiot
Pure folly
What a sodding mess
Stark staring mad
A thoroughgoing villain
Utter nonsense
Gross
Conspicuously and tastelessly indecent;
Coarse language
A crude joke
Crude behavior
An earthy sense of humor
A revoltingly gross expletive
A vulgar gesture
Full of language so vulgar it should have been edited
Gross
Causing intense disgust; revolting.
The sight of the spoiled food was simply gross.
Common Curiosities
Is nasty a stronger word than gross?
Nasty can imply malice and severity, whereas gross typically focuses on revulsion.
Can something be both nasty and gross?
Yes, some things can be both unpleasant (nasty) and revolting (gross).
Do nasty and gross have positive forms?
No, they are generally used negatively.
Is nasty ever used in a playful context?
Sometimes, but it usually retains a slight edge of unpleasantness.
Are nasty and gross subjective terms?
Yes, what one person finds nasty or gross may not affect another the same way.
Can gross describe a smell?
Yes, gross often describes offensive smells.
Would a foul taste be described as nasty or gross?
It could be described as either, depending on the level of revulsion.
Can people be described as gross?
Yes, if their actions or appearance evoke strong disgust.
Do the meanings of nasty and gross overlap in British English?
They can, but there might be slight differences in connotation.
Is nasty used for situations as well as objects?
Yes, nasty can describe a broad range of unpleasant things, including situations.
Can gross be used in a non-literal sense?
Yes, gross can be used figuratively to describe things like errors or misjudgments.
Can food be described as nasty?
Yes, if it's particularly unappetizing or spoiled.
Is it grammatically correct to say "grossly nasty"?
Yes, it's correct and would emphasize how unpleasant something is.
Are there polite synonyms for nasty and gross?
Yes, words like unpleasant or disagreeable could be polite alternatives.
Is it appropriate to use nasty or gross in formal writing?
Generally, these words are informal and might be avoided in formal writing.
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Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
