Ways to say it
| French | IPA |
|---|---|
| vilain | /vi.lɛ̃/ /vi.lɛn‿/ |
| malicieux | |
| méchant | /me.ʃɑ̃/ |
The term is used to describe someone who is behaving badly or tending to misbehave. vilain can also mean ugly or unsightly in certain contexts, though this is less common in modern spoken French.
Which one should you use?
The choice of word depends on the specific type of naughty behavior. Use vilain when describing a child who is misbehaving. Use méchant when someone is being mean, unkind or malicious. For a lighter, more playful sense of being naughty, often implying a sense of mischief or wit rather than actual bad behavior, use malicieux.
How does it change in a sentence?
The forms change based on gender and number. For vilain, the feminine form is vilaine. For méchant, the feminine form is méchante. For malicieux, the feminine singular form is malicieuse and the feminine plural form is malicieuses.
How do you pronounce it?
{'ipa': '/vi.lɛ̃/', 'syllables': 2}
Did you know?
- The word vilain is a direct relative of the English word 'villain'.
- The word malicieux shares a Latin root with the English word 'malice', but it often carries a much lighter, more mischievous tone in French.
Examples in context
- Comme tu es vilain ! Arrête de m'ennuyer !How naughty you are! Stop bothering me!This sentence shows how to express that someone is being naughty.Tatoeba #9676 by sacredceltic, translation #24959 by Enzo
- Le croque-mitaine enlève les vilains enfants.The boogeyman kidnaps naughty children.This sentence uses the word to describe naughty children in a folkloric context.Tatoeba #13368010 by lbdx, translation #7063273 by Babilfrenzo
- Le garçon a promis qu'il ne sera plus méchant.The boy promised not to be naughty any more.This sentence shows a promise to stop being naughty using the form méchant.Tatoeba #672854 by qdii, translation #11690797 by sundown
- Les enfants étaient malicieux pendant la réunion.The children were mischievous during the meeting.
- Paul est un garçon très coquin !Paul is a very naughty boy!
- La petite fille a fait une vilaine bêtise.The little girl did something naughty.
- Les étudiants chahuteurs ont rendu la classe difficile.The unruly students made the class difficult.
- 13 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Gabriel is a little boy who is being misbehaved with his toys.
- ChloéTu es très vilain de ne pas ranger tes jouets.You are being very naughty by not putting your toys away.
- GabrielJe ne suis pas vilain, maman.I am not being naughty, mom.
- ChloéSi tu continues, tu seras un vilain garçon.If you continue, you will be a naughty boy.
- GabrielD'accord, je vais ranger maintenant.Okay, I will clean up now.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “naughty” translations and entries vilain, malicieux, méchant, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries malicieux, méchant, vilain, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
