Synonyms of misbehaving

misbehaving 1 of 2

adjective

as in naughty

engaging in or marked by childish misbehavior

a new approach for disciplining a chronically misbehaving child

Synonyms & Similar Words

• naughty
• mischievous
• bad
• errant
• rude
• rebellious
• childish
• selfish
• contrary
• improper
• disobedient
• froward
• wild
• defiant
• unruly
• immature
• wicked
• disrespectful
• recalcitrant
• wayward
• impudent
• uncontrollable
• juvenile
• insolent
• obstreperous
• unmannerly
• uncouth
• corrupt
• impolite
• refractory
• intractable
• balky
• ornery
• indecorous
• rowdy
• ill-mannered
• roguish
• restive
• disorderly
• prankish
• impish
• evil
• headstrong
• ungovernable
• willful
• monkeying
• rascally
• untoward
• dissolute
• transgressing
• knavish
• waggish
• mutinous
• elfish
• wrongheaded
• unkind
• inconsiderate
• ill-natured
• perverse
• ruffianly
• thoughtless
• insurgent
• infantile
• unkindly
• arch
• babyish
• pixieish
• monkeyish
• disobliging
• puerile
• kiddish
• jejune

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• behaved
• orderly
• complying
• correct
• obedient
• proper
• nice
• moral
• submissive
• compliant
• dutiful
• clean
• behaving
• acquiescent
• polite
• decent
• divine
• courteous
• respectable
• kindly
• considerate
• decorous
• thoughtful
• angelic
• heavenly
• docile
• amenable
• tractable
• pleasant
• mannerly
• amiable
• good-natured
• mature
• adult
• modest
• complaisant
• discreet
• cherubic
• governable
• obliging
• grown-up

misbehaving

2 of 2

verb

present participle of misbehave

as in disobeying

to behave badly

scolded the children for misbehaving and sent them to bed early

Synonyms & Similar Words

• disobeying
• rebelling
• misconducting
• acting out
• carrying on
• acting up
• running riot
• raising Cain
• cutting up
• kidding (around)
• horsing around
• clowning (around)
• fooling around
• showing off
• roughhousing

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• acting
• obeying
• conducting
• bearing
• quitting
• complying
• controlling
• moving
• handling
• containing
• conforming
• checking
• restraining
• inhibiting
• collecting
• deporting
• acquitting
• curbing
• demeaning
• comporting
• composing
• constraining
• quieting
• repressing

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of misbehaving

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