as in naughty
engaging in or marked by childish misbehavior
a new approach for disciplining a chronically misbehaving child
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in disobeying
to behave badly
scolded the children for misbehaving and sent them to bed early
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of misbehaving
Judith Martin, Mercury News, 1 Dec. 2025
Adjective
Why must members of the public be disrespected by unruly, misbehaving, noisy children, who are then defended by adults who should know better?
—Judith Martin, Mercury News, 1 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for misbehaving
Adjective
-
A little naughty, a little nice, kitten heels offer nine-to-five wear in polished yet practical form.—
Andrea Zendejas,
Vogue,
22 Jan. 2026
-
More like raw, bold, and sometimes a little naughty.—
Michael Schneider,
Variety,
15 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The country's Supreme Court of Justice removed him from office in 2017 and sentenced him to prison for disobeying a court order to remove barricades during protests against the government of then-President Nicolás Maduro.—
Patricia Gallagher Newberry,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
31 Jan. 2026
-
The driver, identified as 50-year-old Dawn Dubois, was arrested and charged with operating under the Influence, disobeying the signal of an officer and failure to drive in proper lane, according to state police.—
Staff Report,
Hartford Courant,
29 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
His mischievous-urchin phase was short-lived.—
David Kamp,
New Yorker,
9 Feb. 2026
-
Those mischievous Minions will have their Olympic moment after all.—
Dave Skretta,
Chicago Tribune,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Amid all that, Varsity Blues — about a Texas high-school football team rebelling against its abusive coach and holding on to one last gasp of glory before graduation — got a little lost.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
11 Feb. 2026
-
In the meantime, an unstable government could become more rather than less aggressive, not least to keep younger hard-liners from rebelling.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
10 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
In 2006, ahead of the Turin Olympics, Vonn took a bad fall during downhill training and went to the hospital.—
ANDREW DAMPF,
Arkansas Online,
9 Feb. 2026
-
Attending a bad Super Bowl is the Super Bowl of communal experiences.—
Hannah Keyser,
CNN Money,
9 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Misbehaving.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/misbehaving. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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