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
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Oh, No! Synonyms for "Bad"
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Let's Go Caroling, List 2
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
The twists to come, however, feel as much like last year’s naughty hit “The Housemaid,” the domestic thriller in which Seyfried played a shady wife with a marriage made of lies.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2026
He said the young offenders were "not simply naughty schoolchildren".
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026
He was being a naughty boy hoping to make me laugh.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
With Atkinson also on the naughty step, Robinson injured and Smith on paternity leave it means five changes.
From BBC ● Jun. 16, 2026
She’d hold its little empty coat unbuttoned, “Come put on your coat, you naughty child.”
From "The Woman Warrior" by Maxine Hong Kingston
There’s the writing, thick with jokes, puns and the cognitive dissonance of little kids making references wiser and naughtier than their years.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 26, 2022
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
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
In the run-up to the 2017 general election, then-prime minister Theresa May was asked to share the "naughtiest thing" she ever did in an interview with ITV News.
From BBC ● Mar. 6, 2024
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
“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
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
