How to Use naughty in a Sentence

naughty

adjective
  • She gave him a naughty smile.
  • Will this trio be naughty or nice?
    Maddie Topliff, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 Dec. 2025
  • Yes, keep track of who is being naughty or nice.
    Dp Opinion, Denver Post, 21 Feb. 2026
  • He's since been taught that's the naughty finger.
    Daniella Gray, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Sep. 2025
  • Some are naughty, some are nice, but all of them are well worth a read.
    Seth Combs, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Nov. 2023
  • Quick bite of roast beef, with a naughty side of French fries.
    David Jefferys, Condé Nast Traveler, 26 Jan. 2018
  • Apple turns a blind eye to many of the naughty habits of apps.
    Shira Ovide, Washington Post, 9 June 2023
  • Alright, Dale — that was a fun, naughty joke.
    William Earl, Variety, 4 Jan. 2026
  • The bedside lamps were shackled to the walls—a naughty touch.
    Audrey Phoon, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Feb. 2018
  • There was the time viewers complained about all the naughty puns.
    Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2019
  • So the decision to avoid the naughty school-girl vibe was wise.
    Cara Kelly, USA TODAY, 13 July 2018
  • Still, a few of us remember how grand the naughty song once was.
    Gregg Opelka, WSJ, 20 Dec. 2021
  • More like raw, bold, and sometimes a little naughty.
    Michael Schneider, Variety, 15 Jan. 2026
  • While one cooked, the other watched out for the naughty elephants.
    Cnt Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 Feb. 2023
  • Then came a naughty plan to try to sneak the C-word onto the show.
    Jillian Sederholm, EW.com, 13 Mar. 2021
  • The players even ranked which of their teammates were on the naughty or nice list this year.
    Quinlan Bentley, The Enquirer, 25 Dec. 2024
  • Santa could not be reached to comment on whether the man had been added to the naughty list.
    Frank Witsil, Detroit Free Press, 12 Dec. 2019
  • That was the quickest way to end up on Jordan's naughty list.
    Chris Bumbaca, USA TODAY, 18 May 2020
  • The home needed to display her naughty sense of humor too.
    Julie Vadnal, Architectural Digest, 18 Mar. 2026
  • Now, the hit show is getting a naughty makeover as a musical.
    Leah Olajide, Freep.com, 4 Sep. 2025
  • Has Fern eaten or chewed on anything naughty?
    Breanne L. Heldman, PEOPLE, 13 June 2026
  • One list is his record of those children who have been nice, and the other, the naughty ones.
    Linda Gandee, cleveland, 7 Dec. 2020
  • Paltrow has been savvy at selling herself as naughty and nice.
    Marisa Meltzer, Vanity Fair, 17 Apr. 2026
  • Coal isn’t just for those who made the naughty list this holiday season.
    Gideon Grudo, NBC News, 29 Dec. 2019
  • The stories are funny and clever, and a few are a little naughty, as well.
    Sunset Magazine, 19 Mar. 2020
  • The clothes turned out much like Smith herself, girly and a little naughty.
    Chrissy Rutherford, Harper's BAZAAR, 21 Jan. 2014
  • In that time, the parrots learned a few naughty words and even learned to say these words and start laughing.
    Andrea Romano, Travel + Leisure, 30 Sep. 2020
  • There’s rushing water, too, which is anything but naughty.
    Literary Hub, 8 Aug. 2025
  • But in the morning, the couple emerged from the goathouse as flushed and giddy as naughty teenagers.
    Lisa Wells, Harper’s Magazine , 13 Mar. 2023
  • Would she be sent out of the room when the grownups were talking, perhaps, and told to sit on the naughty step?
    Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 4 Feb. 2017

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'naughty.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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