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:
With Atkinson also on the naughty step, Robinson injured and Smith on paternity leave it means five changes.
From BBC ● Jun. 16, 2026
His tics are not naughty mischief but an uncontrollable action.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 24, 2026
The organizer of New York’s annual SantaCon bar crawl belongs on the naughty list, federal prosecutors said Wednesday, alleging he stole money that he claimed would go to charity.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 15, 2026
"Naughty boys do naughty things, and in his older age he did the right thing," she said.
From BBC ● Apr. 2, 2026
“You naughty child, how dare you? Go and sit down this instant!”
From "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens
“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
His creations work equally well on the gallery wall, hung salon-style at Anton Kern in New York, or on Instagram, where the images are stripped down, even more existential and sometimes naughtier.
From New York Times ● May 6, 2020
Amundeep admits she was the naughtier of the pair.
From BBC ● Apr. 27, 2015
Another is the radical press, which also played a part in unmasking their naughtier enterprises, but which Moran merely dismisses as "trendy".
From The Guardian ● Jan. 10, 2013
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
The PM confessed to having sometimes ridden a bicycle on the pavement when he was asked to reveal the naughtiest thing he has ever done.
From The Guardian ● Dec. 8, 2019
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
“Trevor is so naughty. He’s the naughtiest child I’ve ever come across in my life.”
From "Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood" by Trevor Noah
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.
