From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishnaughtynaugh‧ty /ˈnɔːti $ ˈnɒːti, ˈnɑːti/ ●●○S3 adjective1BAD BEHAVIOUR OR ACTIONSa naughty child does not obeyadults and behaves badlyOPP good
You’re a very naughty boy! Look what you’ve done!2British EnglishDISAPPROVE if an adult does something naughty, they do something that is not right or good, but is not very serious
I felt a bit naughty going off on my own, leaving the children behind.3 →naughty jokes/magazines/films etc4 →the naughty step —naughtily adverb —naughtiness noun [uncountable]Examples from the Corpusnaughty• Yes, when I was ten and twelve years old, I was very, very naughty.• But they were naughty and stayed.• Tale-telling on each other and inciting each other to be naughty are frequent problems faced by parents of young children.• They were reading an Americannovel that seemed to have had all the naughtybitscut out.• We've been looking for you everywhere, you naughtyboy!• To allow the naughty child to be seen as good, the good child also needs to be seen as being naughty.• Dad was told how naughty James had been and then shouted at him and sent him to the bedroom.• Abraham and MacGregor begin tasting that delicioussense of playing hooky from life, just like two big, naughtykids.• a naughty little girl• Dennis sat on his bed reading a naughtymagazine.• I don't believe in hitting children, no matter how naughty they've been.• You want your niceboyfriend to do naughty things - the things this girl does in your fantasies.• Betsy said a naughtyword, Mom.Originnaughty(1300-1400)naught
