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naughty

naugh·ty

naughty

 
 
pronunciation:
naw ti
features:
Word Combinations (adjective), Word History
part of speech: adjective
inflections: naughtier, naughtiest
definition 1: not behaving or obeying.
The naughty girl hit her sister.
synonyms:
bad, misbehaving
definition 2: bad or not proper.
Martha told a naughty joke that offended me.
Word CombinationsSubscriber feature About this feature
derivations: naughtily (adv.), naughtiness (n.)
Word History
Naughty comes from an early English word that meant "having naught (nothing)," "needy," or "evil." By 1600, "naughty" was no longer a strong enough word to describe an evil person. Around this time, the word was being used for behavior that was disobedient, or for things of poor quality, such as "naughty apples."