naughty

/ˈnɔdi/

/ˈnɔti/

Other forms: naughtiest; naughtier

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!

Definitions of naughty

1. adjective

   badly behaved
   “a naughty boy”

   synonyms:

   bad

   having undesirable or negative qualities
2. adjective

   suggestive of sexual impropriety
   synonyms: blue, gamey, gamy, juicy, racy, risque, spicy

   sexy

   marked by or tending to arouse sexual desire or interest