naughty word
1
6.1
- noun
- /ˈnɔti wɜrd/
- Offensive
:
palabrota
- "Richard, you will apologize at once for using that naughty word," she told her son with a dark, meaningful look that promised retribution.
- using a naughty word
- said a naughty word
She knows some very long naughty words on the Scrabble board.
- She knows some very long naughty words on the Scrabble board.
- Like as a neighborhood, my mom and her girlfriends would do this event that I cannot name because it has a dirty, naughty word in it.
Examples
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No naughty words, pretty please.
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There goes that naughty word again.
Blog text (27) -
This is what I want, naughty words.
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I can take naughty words, you know.
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Brad said a naughty word.
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"That's not the only naughty word I know by a long shot," he told her.
Fiction book (1990) -
That's a naughty word.
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It would take more than a naughty word or two to bring a blush to my cheeks.
Fiction book (1990) -
No naughty words are allowed in this classroom during the lesson.
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The teacher reminded the students not to use any naughty words when talking about sensitive topics.
Synonyms
45
7.0
Strong rude words that shock or upset people
43
6.0
Words that are rude and upset people, often about religion
18
7.1
A word people think is rude or not polite
18
7.4
A lack of good taste and politeness in speech or behavior
8
5.8
A rude word people say to show strong anger or surprise
2
8.6
A rude word people say when they are angry
1
7.2
A rude word people say when they are angry or surprised
1
8.6
A rude word people use when angry or to insult someone
1
9.2
An offensive or rude word considered inappropriate in polite speech
A rude word about sex or body parts
How Offensive
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'naughty' (improper, indecent) modifies 'word' to mean a word that is inappropriate or offensive. This adjective + noun pattern is common and cross-linguistically transparent, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can readily infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
Naughty word may come from the old use of naughty to mean 'bad'. Adults called certain words naughty to warn children not to say them, so the phrase now means a word 'not polite' or 'not for children'.