naughty

adjective

naugh·​ty ˈnȯ-tē How to pronounce naughty (audio) ˈnä- How to pronounce naughty (audio)
naughtier; naughtiest
1
a
: guilty of disobedience or misbehavior
a naughty child
b
archaic : vicious in moral character : wicked
2
: lacking in taste or propriety
No naughty jokes in front of the children, please!
naughtily adverb
naughtiness noun

Examples of naughty in a Sentence

She gave him a naughty smile. told her to act her age and stop throwing temper tantrums like a naughty little girl
Recent Examples on the Web This last point, the latex, feels naughty and intriguing. Anna Holmes, The New Yorker, 23 Feb. 2024 Eddie Murphy, Tracee Ellis Ross and their kids battle a naughty elf, played by Jillian Bell, in the official trailer for Candy Cane Lane. Christy Piña, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Nov. 2023 As for the song’s naughtier lyrics, Rodrigo did her own self-censoring. Herb Scribner, Washington Post, 5 Feb. 2024 The results are naughtier than your typical Terry Gross interview, though not by that much. Angie Han, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Jan. 2024 Believe it or not, between sipping delicious eggnog and hot cocoa and enjoying the joy of Yuletide with family and friends, there are still naughty killjoys afoot during Christmastime — the worst of which appear in some of the best holiday films. Mike Miller, Peoplemag, 17 Dec. 2023 Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr.'s warmup gear before his Christmas night game was nice and naughty. Jackie Fields, Peoplemag, 26 Dec. 2023 Some might call this outfit more naughty than nice for Christmas Eve. Leah Marilla Thomas, Glamour, 26 Dec. 2023 When a shot of Mel B spraying Simon with a water bottle plays, Terry looks into the camera and wags a naughty finger. Esther Kang, Peoplemag, 11 Dec. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'naughty.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English noughti, from nought

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

Time Traveler
The first known use of naughty was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near naughty

Cite this Entry

“Naughty.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/naughty. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

naughty

adjective
naugh·​ty ˈnȯt-ē How to pronounce naughty (audio)
ˈnät-
naughtier; naughtiest
: behaving badly or improperly
naughtily adverb
naughtiness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on naughty

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