naughty

adjective

naugh·​ty ˈnȯ-tē  ˈnä- 

naughtier; naughtiest

1

a

: guilty of disobedience or misbehavior

a naughty child

b

archaic : vicious in moral character : wicked

2

: lacking in taste or propriety

No naughty jokes in front of the children, please!

naughtily

ˈnȯ-tə-lē 

ˈnä-

adverb

naughtiness

ˈnȯ-tē-nəs 

ˈnä-

noun

Synonyms

• bad
• contrary
• errant
• froward
• misbehaving
• mischievous

Examples of naughty in a Sentence

She gave him a naughty smile.

told her to act her age and stop throwing temper tantrums like a naughty little girl

Recent Examples on the Web

Krampus is rumored to punish children who have been naughty on the evening of Dec. 5, also known as Krampusnacht, by whipping them, eating them or dragging them to hell. —Jennifer Borresen, USA TODAY, 13 Dec. 2024

Sometimes plotting a fantasy feels as naughty as enacting it. —Stephen Kearse, TIME, 9 Dec. 2024

Legend has it that Krampus would accompany St. Nicholas on his annual holiday rounds to menace naughty children, according to Brittanica. —Jenna Prestininzi, Detroit Free Press, 4 Dec. 2024

Sorrentino took over Cafe des Artistes after the death of owner George Lang and renamed it The Leopard at Des Artistes, retaining all the naughty charm of its murals and drew on a crowd from Lincoln Center. —John Mariani, Forbes, 27 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English noughti, from nought

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

Kids Definition

naughty

adjective

naugh·​ty ˈnȯt-ē 

ˈnät-

naughtier; naughtiest

: behaving badly or improperly

naughtily

ˈnȯt-ᵊl-ē 

ˈnät-

adverb

naughtiness

ˈnȯt-ē-nəs 

ˈnät-

noun