as in naughty
engaging in or marked by childish misbehavior
a new approach for disciplining a chronically misbehaving child
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in disobeying
to behave badly
scolded the children for misbehaving and sent them to bed early
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of misbehaving
Judith Martin, Mercury News, 1 Dec. 2025
Adjective
Why must members of the public be disrespected by unruly, misbehaving, noisy children, who are then defended by adults who should know better?
—Judith Martin, Mercury News, 1 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for misbehaving
Adjective
-
A little naughty, a little nice, kitten heels offer nine-to-five wear in polished yet practical form.—
Andrea Zendejas,
Vogue,
22 Jan. 2026
-
More like raw, bold, and sometimes a little naughty.—
Michael Schneider,
Variety,
15 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The fact that on this occasion senior officers chose a very light touch, preserving still-new representative institutions while not directly disobeying a direct presidential order, is extraordinary – and deserves far more comment and commendation than has been received.—
Arthur I. Cyr,
Chicago Tribune,
20 Jan. 2026
-
The mayor and governor of Minnesota need to be investigated for causing chaos in the streets, disobeying federal laws and causing riots at the expense of a deceased person.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
12 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Within your 3rd House of Local Community, mischievous Mercury combines with dark Pluto, turning conversations into truth-seeking moments that clarify trust and tighten details.—
Tarot.com,
Sun Sentinel,
22 Jan. 2026
-
In House of the Dragon’s season 2 premiere, Aegon II brought him to a meeting where Jaehaerys II was mischievous and bored.—
Skyler Trepel,
PEOPLE,
19 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Certainly heroic for repeatedly rebelling against a murderous regime armed to the teeth.—
Melik Kaylan,
Forbes.com,
22 Jan. 2026
-
Communities are rebelling against the construction of massive data farms.—
Steven Greenhut,
Oc Register,
9 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Now, but as the statistics and figures come in here in Minneapolis, there's double-digit drops in crime, coupled with a lot of bad people and bad things being taken off of your streets.—
Esme Murphy,
CBS News,
13 Jan. 2026
-
Under President Biden, the FTC and DOJ slowed large transactions, suggesting that all big businesses were bad businesses.—
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld,
Time,
13 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Misbehaving.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/misbehaving. Accessed 31 Jan. 2026.
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