Phrase guide

naughty list

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈnɔːti lɪst/
  • General-American: /ˈnɔti lɪst/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

noun

Meaning 1

According to Christmas folklore, a list kept by Santa Claus of children who have been naughty, and who will therefore not be given as many presents; kept in conjunction with the antithetical nice list.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

Any hypothetical list of naughty people.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: broadly

Examples

  • You don't want to get on the FBI's naughty list.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Certainly connected with, and possibly derived from, the lyrics of a Christmas carol, "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town": He's makin a list / and checkin it twice / He's gonna find out / who's naughty or nice