naughty

1 of 2

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

naughtiness

2 of 2

noun

naugh·​ti·​ness |ēnə̇s 

|in-

plural -es

1

: the quality or state of being naughty

2

: a naughty act or impulse

Synonyms of naughty

Adjective

• mischievous
• bad

Examples of naughty in a Sentence

Adjective

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

Adjective

When Martín is kidnapped by a monster, Cleo ventures into the jungle to rescue him, aided by an elderly witch and a naughty anteater. — Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 9 July 2026

People would hang from windows, encouraging you to do naughty things, and my thumb has never been sorer from back-and-forth gestures. — Matthew MacConnell, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026

Has Fern eaten or chewed on anything naughty? — Breanne L. Heldman, PEOPLE, 13 June 2026

The play was naughty stuff in 1925, when the show, starring Tallulah Bankhead, got banned. — Sheldon Pearce, New Yorker, 15 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English noughti, from nought

First Known Use

Adjective

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