naughty
Americanadjective
-
(esp of children or their behaviour) mischievous or disobedient; bad
-
mildly indecent; titillating
noun
Usage
What does naughty mean? Naughty means disobedient, mischievous, or generally misbehaving, particularly when applied to children. Naughty is usually used in reference to misbehavior that’s minor or mischievous, as opposed to more serious disobedience. In this way, it’s also sometimes applied to pets. Example: If you kids start to get naughty before bedtime, I’m going to take away your TV privileges. In a much different context, naughty is used to describe things that are sexually suggestive, as in naughty jokes, or things that pertain to sex, often in a way that’s hidden, forbidden, or secret. In this way, it is often used playfully or as a euphemism (a milder substitute of what is being referred to). Example: Oh my God, have you two been doing naughty stuff in the supply shed?
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
Etymology
Origin of naughty
Explanation
Naughty describes someone — or someone’s pet — who is disobedient, bad, rascally, or otherwise poorly behaved. You might remember the word naughty by the way it sounds; think of it as containing the sound "not" as in "Naughty is what you get called when you get caught doing something you were NOT supposed to do!" While naughtiness may be in the eye of the beholder, every human culture seems to have its own version of naughty. For instance, those who celebrate Christmas and want to be on Santa’s “nice” list better avoid any naughty behaviors!
Vocabulary lists containing naughty
Words from Shakespearean Insults
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Oh, No! Synonyms for "Bad"
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Let's Go Caroling, List 2
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Romantic, criminal and naughty hijinks ensue and bonds are tested — and ultimately reinforced.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
From naughty penguins to ungovernable elephant seals, funny animals attracting attention on the internet is nothing new.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
GTA III in 2001 was a naughty revelation—a first-person, three-dimensional, open world of beauty and barbarity.
From Barron's ● May 21, 2026
Notably, one thing not included in that naughty list is gas turbines.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 13, 2026
“I remember. What a ragged, naughty thing you were, Matty, when you came to Village.”
From "Messenger" by Lois Lowry
“I’m not speaking for Mary Shelley, but there must have been some other, naughtier, wilder, more dangerous things that Mary Shelley wanted to say that weren’t said in ‘Frankenstein.’
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 1, 2026
“She just kept on getting naughtier and more challenging,” she said.
From The Guardian ● Jul. 21, 2020
He thinks, wrongly, that they are naughtier than other children, and I feel defensive that he’s criticizing the way I’m raising them.
From Slate ● Aug. 2, 2019
Amundeep admits she was the naughtier of the pair.
From BBC ● Apr. 27, 2015
After the adventure with the compass it seemed to grow worse, and towards the evening he grew naughtier and naughtier.
From "Mary Poppins" by P. L. Travers
The naughtiest Magnificent Seven stock is clearly Tesla.
From Barron's ● Dec. 25, 2025
But my colleague Geoffrey A. Fowler recently reported on the country’s naughtiest internet providers and he found:
From Washington Post ● Jan. 3, 2023
Last year, she told an interviewer that the naughtiest thing she did as a child was to “run through fields of wheat.”
From The New Yorker ● Jul. 23, 2018
I think he, along with Newcastle's Sinoti Sinoti, who has the naughtiest footwork in the Premiership, have both been eye-catching in their performances.
From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2016
“All this stuff you’re doing. You’re probably the naughtiest student there’s ever been in our school. And you’re doing it all to save him.”
From "Wringer" by Jerry Spinelli
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
