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 of naughty

• mischievous
• bad

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

From horrifying films about a snowman's murderous rampage and folkloric Christmas demons who terrorize not-so-nice families to comedies with a bit of edge and raunchy humor, these titles would certainly make Santa's naughty list. —Lydia Price, PEOPLE, 23 Dec. 2025

Kaye Schloemer’s rum balls were a big hit at holiday parties and potlucks—sweet, bite-sized, and just a little bit naughty! —Josh Miller, Southern Living, 22 Dec. 2025

Our editors have scoured the market for the 10 best faux fur coats that won’t get you on PETA’s naughty list this Christmas. —Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 22 Dec. 2025

They are forbidden to have naughty thoughts, leading to some unfortunate outcomes for several elves. —Andy Hoglund, Entertainment Weekly, 21 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English noughti, from nought

First Known Use

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

Rhymes for naughty

• dotty
• doughty
• draughty
• haughty
• knotty
• potty
• scottie
• spotty
• strati
• zloty
• basmati
• bharati

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