adjective

naughty

naughty, misbehaving, disobedient

The naughty child broke the vase.

The naughty child broke the vase.

He told a naughty joke at the party.

He told a naughty joke at the party.

((a naughty noun)) a misbehaving (noun) He is a naughty boy.

((sb. is naughty)) (sb.) is misbehaving The puppy was being naughty.

Synonyms: misbehaving, mischievous; Antonyms: well-behaved, good

From Old English 'nawiht' (nothing). 'Naughty' originally meant 'worthless', then 'wicked', and softened to 'misbehaving'.

Sounds like 'knotty'. A knotty problem is difficult, and a naughty child can be difficult.

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