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

Right before Thanksgiving 2024, Kiana Sutherlin, Snoopy's owner, was frying up some chicken in her kitchen, taking extra precautions to keep the food away from her naughty but loveable pup. —Kelli Bender, PEOPLE, 24 Nov. 2025

Does time heal old wounds and soften even the hardest and naughtiest of rock stars? —Lori Majewski, Rolling Stone, 23 Nov. 2025

Be sure to attend the Saint Nicholas Parade and Krampus Run in Igls—those on the nice list get a small gift, while those who have been naughty can expect a little fright. —Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 22 Nov. 2025

Not since her trilogy of Aerosmith videos has Silverstone been so nice about being naughty. —Bethy Squires, Vulture, 22 Nov. 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