Mean vs. Nasty — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman — Updated on October 27, 2023
"Mean" refers to unkind or spiteful behavior, while "nasty" implies something is unpleasant, offensive, or even harmful.
Difference Between Mean and Nasty
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
"Mean" often describes someone who is unkind or spiteful, like a person who says hurtful things. "Nasty" refers to something extremely unpleasant, such as an encounter or comment that goes beyond mere meanness.
"Mean" can be used in a milder context, indicating someone is just not nice. "Nasty," however, conveys a stronger degree of unpleasantness, often associated with repulsion or disgust.
The word "mean" may suggest a lack of generosity or a small-minded attitude. "Nasty" implies something more aggressively unpleasant, even potentially harmful or toxic.
In usage, "mean" often relates to emotional hurt or unkindness. "Nasty" is broader, encompassing physical disgust, moral repugnance, or extreme rudeness.
While "mean" can be used playfully or lightly in some contexts, "nasty" is typically more serious and indicates a higher level of offensiveness or hostility.
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Comparison Chart
Intensity
Generally milder, spiteful.
Stronger, extremely unpleasant.
Context of Use
Emotional hurt, unkindness.
Physical disgust, moral repugnance.
Connotation
Lack of generosity, small-minded.
Aggressively unpleasant, harmful.
Degree of Offense
Can be less serious, sometimes playful.
Typically more serious, offensive.
Common Associations
Emotional meanness, stinginess.
Repulsion, toxicity, extreme rudeness.
Compare with Definitions
Mean
Unkind
He was mean to his classmates.
Nasty
Extremely Unpleasant
That was a nasty smell.
Mean
Spiteful
Her mean comments hurt my feelings.
Nasty
Harmful or Dangerous
The nasty chemicals should be handled carefully.
Mean
Stingy
He's too mean to share his snacks.
Nasty
Very bad or unpleasant
Plastic bags burn with a nasty, acrid smell
Dad's had a nasty accident
Mean
There are several kinds of mean in mathematics, especially in statistics: For a data set, the arithmetic mean, also known as average or arithmetic average, is a central value of a finite set of numbers: specifically, the sum of the values divided by the number of values. The arithmetic mean of a set of numbers x1, x2, ..., xn is typically denoted by x ¯ {\displaystyle {\bar {x}}} .
Nasty
Behaving in an unpleasant or spiteful way
Harry was a nasty, foul-mouthed old devil
Mean
Intend to convey or refer to (a particular thing); signify
I don't know what you mean
I meant you, not Jones
He was asked to clarify what his remarks meant
Nasty
Damaging or harmful
A nasty, vicious-looking hatchet
Mean
Intend (something) to occur or be the case
It was meant to be a secret
They mean no harm
Nasty
An unpleasant or harmful person or thing
A water conditioner to neutralize chlorine and other nasties
Mean
Have as a consequence or result
The proposals are likely to mean another hundred closures
Heavy rain meant that the pitch was waterlogged
Nasty
Disgusting or repellent
A nasty odor rising from the garbage can.
Mean
Unwilling to give or share things, especially money; not generous
They're not mean with the garlic
She felt mean not giving a tip
Nasty
Unpleasantly cold or wet
Nasty weather.
Mean
Unkind, spiteful, or unfair
I was mean to them over the festive season
Nasty
(Archaic) Dirty; filthy.
Mean
(especially of a place) poor in quality and appearance; shabby
Her home was mean and small
Nasty
Morally offensive or indecent
A nasty film.
Mean
Very skilful or effective; excellent
She dances a mean tango
He's a mean cook
Nasty
Unpleasant or annoying
A nasty habit.
Mean
(of a quantity) calculated as a mean; average
Participants in the study had a mean age of 35 years
Nasty
Mean or spiteful
Stop being nasty to each other.
Mean
Equally far from two extremes
Hope is the mean virtue between despair and presumption
Nasty
Painful or dangerous; grave
A nasty accident.
Mean
The value obtained by dividing the sum of several quantities by their number; an average
Acid output was calculated by taking the mean of all three samples
Nasty
Exasperatingly difficult to solve or handle
A nasty puzzle.
A nasty problem.
Mean
A condition, quality, or course of action equally removed from two opposite extremes
The measure expresses a mean between saving and splashing out
Nasty
One that is nasty
"It is the business of museums to present us with nasties as well as with fine things" (Country Life).
Mean
To be used to convey; denote
"'The question is,' said Alice, 'whether you can make words mean so many different things'" (Lewis Carroll).
Nasty
Dirty, filthy.
Mean
To act as a symbol of; signify or represent
In this poem, the budding flower means youth.
Nasty
Contemptible, unpleasant (of a person).
Mean
To intend to convey or indicate
"No one means all he says, and yet very few say all they mean, for words are slippery and thought is viscous" (Henry Adams).
Nasty
Objectionable, unpleasant (of a thing); repellent, offensive.
Mean
To have as a purpose or an intention; intend
I meant to go running this morning, but I overslept.
Nasty
Indecent or offensive; obscene, lewd.
Mean
To design, intend, or destine for a certain purpose or end
A building that was meant for storage.
A student who was meant to be a scientist.
Nasty
Spiteful, unkind.
Mean
To have as a consequence; bring about
Friction means heat.
Nasty
Awkward, difficult to navigate; dangerous.
Mean
To have the importance or value of
The opinions of the critics meant nothing to him. She meant so much to me.
Nasty
Grave or dangerous (of an accident, illness etc.).
Mean
To have intentions of a specified kind; be disposed
They mean well but lack tact.
Nasty
Formidable, terrific; wicked.
Mean
Lacking in kindness; unkind
The teacher was not being mean in asking you to be quiet.
Nasty
(informal) Something nasty.
Processed foods are full of aspartame and other nasties.
This video game involves flying through a maze zapping various nasties.
Mean
Cruel, spiteful, or malicious
A mean boy who liked to make fun of others.
Nasty
Sexual intercourse.
Mean
Expressing spite or malice
Gave me a mean look.
Nasty
A video nasty.
Mean
Tending toward or characterized by cruelty or violence
Mean streets.
Nasty
Offensively filthy; very dirty, foul, or defiled; disgusting; nauseous.
Mean
Extremely unpleasant or disagreeable
The meanest storm in years.
Nasty
Hence, loosely: Offensive; disagreeable; unpropitious; wet; drizzling; as, a nasty rain, day, sky.
Mean
Ignoble; base
A mean motive. ].
Nasty
Characterized by obscenity; indecent; indelicate; gross; filthy.
Mean
Occupying a middle or intermediate position between two extremes.
Nasty
Vicious; offensively ill-tempered; insultingly mean; spiteful; as, a nasty disposition.
Mean
Intermediate in size, extent, quality, time, or degree; medium.
Nasty
Difficult to deal with; troublesome; as, he fell of his bike and got a nasty bruise on his knee.
Mean
Something having a position, quality, or condition midway between extremes; a medium.
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?
Mean
A number that typifies a set of numbers, such as a geometric mean or an arithmetic mean.
Nasty
Exasperatingly difficult to handle or circumvent;
A nasty problem
A good man to have on your side in a tight situation
Mean
The average value of a set of numbers.
Nasty
Thoroughly unpleasant;
Filthy (or foul or nasty or vile) weather we're having
Mean
(Logic) The middle term in a syllogism.
Nasty
Characterized by obscenity;
Had a filthy mouth
Foul language
Smutty jokes
Mean
Means (used with a sing. or pl. verb) A method, a course of action, or an instrument by which an act can be accomplished or an end achieved.
Nasty
Disgustingly dirty; filled or smeared with offensive matter;
As filthy as a pigsty
A foul pond
A nasty pigsty of a room
Mean
Money, property, or other wealth
You ought to live within your means.
Nasty
Offensive
His remarks were quite nasty.
Mean
Great wealth
A woman of means.
Nasty
Severe or Intense
She faced a nasty storm last night.
Mean
To intend.
Nasty
Disgusting
The food left a nasty taste in my mouth.
Mean
(transitive) To intend, to plan (to do); to have as one's intention.
I didn't mean to knock your tooth out.
I mean to go to Baddeck this summer.
I meant to take the car in for a smog check, but it slipped my mind.
The authors meant a challenge to the status quo.
Mean
(intransitive) To have as intentions of a given kind.
Don't be angry; she meant well.
Mean
To intend (something) for a given purpose or fate; to predestine.
Actually this desk was meant for the subeditor.
Man was not meant to question such things.
Mean
(transitive) To intend an ensuing comment or statement as an explanation.[https://www.lexico.com/en/definition/i_mean%20I%20mean]
Your reasoning seems needlessly abstruse, complex, and verbose for me. I mean, could you dumb it down for my sake?
Mean
To convey (a meaning).
Mean
(transitive) To convey (a given sense); to signify, or indicate (an object or idea).
The sky is red this morning—does that mean we're in for a storm?
Mean
(transitive) Of a word, symbol etc: to have reference to, to signify.
What does this hieroglyph mean?
Mean
(transitive) Of a person (or animal etc): to intend to express, to imply, to hint at, to allude.
I'm afraid I don't understand what you mean.
He is a little different, if you know what I mean.
Mean
(transitive) To have conviction in (something said or expressed); to be sincere in (what one says).
Does she really mean what she said to him last night?
Say what you mean and mean what you say.
Mean
(transitive) To cause or produce (a given result); to bring about (a given result).
One faltering step means certain death.
Mean
(usually with to) To be of some level of importance.
That little dog meant everything to me.
Formality and titles mean nothing in their circle.
Mean
To lament.
Mean
(obsolete) Common; general.
Mean
Of a common or low origin, grade, or quality; common; humble.
A man of mean parentage
A mean abode
Mean
Low in quality or degree; inferior; poor; shabby.
A mean appearance
A mean dress
Mean
Without dignity of mind; destitute of honour; low-minded; spiritless; base.
A mean motive
It was mean of you to steal that little girl's piggy bank.
Mean
Of little value or worth; worthy of little or no regard; contemptible; despicable.
Mean
Ungenerous; stingy; tight-fisted.
He's so mean. I've never seen him spend so much as five pounds on presents for his children.
Mean
Disobliging; pettily offensive or unaccommodating.
Mean
Intending to cause harm, successfully or otherwise; bearing ill will towards another.
Watch out for her, she's mean. I said good morning to her, and she punched me in the nose.
Mean
Powerful; fierce; strong.
It must have been a mean typhoon that levelled this town.
Mean
(colloquial) Accomplished with great skill; deft; hard to compete with.
Your mother can roll a mean cigarette.
He hits a mean backhand.
Mean
Difficult, tricky.
This problem is mean!
Mean
Having the mean (see noun below) as its value; average.
The mean family has 2.4 children.
Mean
(obsolete) Middling; intermediate; moderately good, tolerable.
Mean
A method or course of action used to achieve some result.
Mean
An intermediate step or intermediate steps.
Mean
Something which is intermediate or in the middle; an intermediate value or range of values; a medium.
Mean
The middle part of three-part polyphonic music; now specifically, the alto part in polyphonic music; an alto instrument.
Mean
(statistics) The average of a set of values, calculated by summing them together and dividing by the number of terms; the arithmetic mean.
Mean
(mathematics) Any function of multiple variables that satisfies certain properties and yields a number representative of its arguments; or, the number so yielded; a measure of central tendency.
Mean
(mathematics) Either of the two numbers in the middle of a conventionally presented proportion, as 2 and 3 in 1:2=3:6.
Mean
To have in the mind, as a purpose, intention, etc.; to intend; to purpose; to design; as, what do you mean to do?
What mean ye by this service ?
Ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good.
I am not a SpaniardTo say that it is yours and not to mean it.
Mean
To signify; to indicate; to import; to denote.
What mean these seven ewe lambs ?
Go ye, and learn what that meaneth.
Mean
To have a purpose or intention.
Mean
Destitute of distinction or eminence; common; low; vulgar; humble.
The mean man boweth down, and the great man humbleth himself.
Mean
Wanting dignity of mind; low-minded; base; destitute of honor; spiritless; as, a mean motive.
Can you imagine I so mean could prove,To save my life by changing of my love ?
Mean
Of little value or account; worthy of little or no regard; contemptible; despicable.
The Roman legions and great Cæsar foundOur fathers no mean foes.
Mean
Of poor quality; as, mean fare.
Mean
Penurious; stingy; close-fisted; illiberal; as, mean hospitality.
Mean
Occupying a middle position; middle; being about midway between extremes.
Being of middle age and a mean stature.
Mean
Intermediate in excellence of any kind.
According to the fittest style of lofty, mean, or lowly.
Mean
Average; having an intermediate value between two extremes, or between the several successive values of a variable quantity during one cycle of variation; as, mean distance; mean motion; mean solar day.
Mean
That which is mean, or intermediate, between two extremes of place, time, or number; the middle point or place; middle rate or degree; mediocrity; medium; absence of extremes or excess; moderation; measure.
But to speak in a mean, the virtue of prosperity is temperance; the virtue of adversity is fortitude.
There is a mean in all things.
The extremes we have mentioned, between which the wellinstracted Christian holds the mean, are correlatives.
Mean
A quantity having an intermediate value between several others, from which it is derived, and of which it expresses the resultant value; usually, unless otherwise specified, it is the simple average, formed by adding the quantities together and dividing by their number, which is called an arithmetical mean. A geometrical mean is the nth root of the product of the n quantities being averaged.
Mean
That through which, or by the help of which, an end is attained; something tending to an object desired; intermediate agency or measure; necessary condition or coagent; instrument.
Their virtuous conversation was a mean to work the conversion of the heathen to Christ.
You may be able, by this mean, to review your own scientific acquirements.
Philosophical doubt is not an end, but a mean.
By this means he had them more at vantage.
What other means is left unto us.
Mean
Resources; property, revenue, or the like, considered as the condition of easy livelihood, or an instrumentality at command for effecting any purpose; disposable force or substance.
Your means are very slender, and your waste is great.
Mean
A part, whether alto or tenor, intermediate between the soprano and base; a middle part.
The mean is drowned with your unruly base.
Mean
Meantime; meanwhile.
Mean
A mediator; a go-between.
He wooeth her by means and by brokage.
If by any means I might attain to the resurrection of the dead.
The wine on this side of the lake is by no means so good as that on the other.
Mean
An average of n numbers computed by adding some function of the numbers and dividing by some function of n
Mean
Mean or intend to express or convey;
You never understand what I mean!
What do his words intend?
Mean
Have as a logical consequence;
The water shortage means that we have to stop taking long showers
Mean
Denote or connote;
`maison' means `house' in French
An example sentence would show what this word means
Mean
Have in mind as a purpose;
I mean no harm
I only meant to help you
She didn't think to harm me
We thought to return early that night
Mean
Have a specified degree of importance;
My ex-husband means nothing to me
Happiness means everything
Mean
Intend to refer to;
I'm thinking of good food when I talk about France
Yes, I meant you when I complained about people who gossip!
Mean
Destine or designate for a certain purpose;
These flowers were meant for you
Mean
Approximating the statistical norm or average or expected value;
The average income in New England is below that of the nation
Of average height for his age
The mean annual rainfall
Mean
Characterized by malice;
A hateful thing to do
In a mean mood
Mean
Having or showing an ignoble lack of honor or morality;
That liberal obedience without which your army would be a base rabble
Taking a mean advantage
Chok'd with ambition of the meaner sort
Something essentially vulgar and meanspirited in politics
Mean
Excellent;
Famous for a mean backhand
Mean
Marked by poverty befitting a beggar;
A beggarly existence in the slums
A mean hut
Mean
Used of persons or behavior; characterized by or indicative of lack of generosity;
A mean person
He left a miserly tip
Mean
Used of sums of money; so small in amount as to deserve contempt
Mean
Average (mathematical)
The mean score of the test was 75.
Mean
Intention or Purpose
The mean behind the message was clear.
Common Curiosities
Is "nasty" only for describing taste?
No, it's used for general unpleasantness.
Is "nasty" stronger than "mean"?
Yes, "nasty" is generally more intense.
Can "mean" be used in mathematics?
Yes, as in "mean value."
Can "mean" ever be positive?
Rarely; it's mostly negative.
Does "mean" always imply hostility?
Often, but not always.
Is "mean" used in formal language?
It's more common in informal contexts.
Can weather be described as nasty?
Yes, for severe or harsh conditions.
Does "nasty" imply danger?
Sometimes, especially with substances or situations.
Can "mean" refer to an average?
Yes, in a mathematical context.
Can someone be unintentionally mean?
Yes, though it's often intentional.
Is "mean" a synonym for "cruel"?
Similar, but "cruel" is usually more severe.
Can "nasty" mean morally bad?
Yes, especially for behavior or actions.
Are "mean" and "nasty" interchangeable?
They can overlap, but "nasty" is generally more severe.
Does "nasty" always involve physical disgust?
Not always, it can be emotional or moral.
Can "nasty" describe a person's character?
Yes, implying they are unpleasant or harmful.
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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.
