NYT Dictionary

NAUGHTY

/ˈnɔti/
AdjectiveNAUGH-tynaugh-ty · 2 syllablesGrade 9

Accepted in official NYT Spelling Bee puzzle years: 2019, 2020

Meaning

Mischievous; tending to misbehave or act badly (especially of a child).

Etymology

Origin: Middle English

From late Middle English noughti, naughty (“evil, immoral, wicked”), from nought (“evil, immoral”) + -ī̆ (suffix forming adjectives). Analysable as naught + -y.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

impishmisbehavedimpudentsassyaudaciousboldget wisebold-facedbold as brassbrassy

Antonyms

NYT Puzzle Appearances

No published puzzle dates on file for this word yet. It is part of the official NYT Spelling Bee word list for 2019, 2020.

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