Mischievous — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

adjective /ˈmis-chə-vəs/ mis·chie·vous

Meaning & Definition of Mischievous

Mischievous (adjective)

  1. able or tending to cause annoyance, trouble, or minor injury
  2. showing a playful desire to cause trouble
  3. intended to harm someone or someone's reputation, harmful, injurious

Mischievous (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. tending to or exhibiting reckless playfulness

    "the children had been so mischievous that we had to pay the babysitter extra and then clean up the mess"

    similar: arch, devilish, elvish, espiègle, impish, knavish, leprechaunish, pixie, pixieish, prankish, puckish, rascally, roguish, scampish, sly, tricksy, waggish, wicked
    related: antic, coltish, coy, frisky, frolicsome, kittenish, playful, sportful, sportive, gay, happy, lighthearted, whimsical, energetic, lively, spirited, sprightly, artful, crafty, cunning, trickish, tricky, wily, misbehaving, naughty, troublemaking, pestering, riling, teasing
    near: grave, grim, sedate, sober, solemn, staid, stern

  2. engaging in or marked by childish misbehavior

    "punished for their mischievous tricks on the neighbors"

    similar: bad, contrary, errant, froward, misbehaving, naughty
    related: defiant, disrespectful, ill-mannered, ill-natured, impolite, improper, impudent, indecorous, insolent, rude, uncouth, unmannerly, disobedient, headstrong, intractable, obstreperous, recalcitrant, refractory, transgressing, unruly, untoward, willful, balky, restive, uncontrollable, ungovernable, wayward, wild, arch, elfish, impish, knavish, monkeying, monkeyish, ornery, pixieish, prankish, rascally, roguish, waggish, dissolute, perverse, wrongheaded, disorderly, rowdy, ruffianly, corrupt, evil, wicked, insurgent, mutinous, rebellious, disobliging, inconsiderate, selfish, thoughtless, unkind, unkindly, babyish, childish, immature, infantile, jejune, juvenile, kiddish, puerile
    opposite: behaved, behaving, nice, orderly
    near: acquiescent, compliant, complying, dutiful, obedient, submissive, clean, correct, decent, decorous, moral, proper, respectable, considerate, courteous, kindly, mannerly, polite, thoughtful, angelic, cherubic, divine, heavenly, amenable, docile, governable, tractable, amiable, complaisant, good-natured, obliging, pleasant, discreet, modest, adult, grown-up, mature

  3. causing or capable of causing harm

    "mischievous gossip that ruined a good teacher's reputation"

    similar: adverse, bad, baleful, baneful, damaging, dangerous, deleterious, detrimental, evil, harmful, hurtful, ill, injurious, nocuous, noxious, pernicious, prejudicial, wicked
    related: hostile, inimical, unfriendly, contagious, deadly, infectious, infective, pestiferous, pestilent, pestilential, poisonous, venomous, insidious, menacing, ominous, sinister, threatening, hazardous, imperiling, jeopardizing, parlous, perilous, risky, unsafe, unsound, nasty, noisome, unhealthful, unhealthy, unwholesome, destructive, fatal, killer, lethal, malignant, ruinous
    opposite: anodyne, benign, harmless, hurtless, innocent, innocuous, inoffensive, safe
    near: advantageous, beneficial, useful, favorable, good, propitious, curative, healthful, healthy, helpful, palliative, remedial, salubrious, salutary, wholesome, secure, sound, benignant, noncorrosive, nondestructive, nonfatal, noninfectious, nonlethal, nonpoisonous, nonpolluting, nontoxic, nonvenomous

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Mischievous

The most common words with a similar meaning to Mischievous:

arch, devilish, elvish, espiègle, impish, knavish, leprechaunish, pixie, pixieish, prankish, puckish, rascally, roguish, scampish, sly, tricksy, waggish, wicked, bad, contrary, errant, froward, misbehaving, naughty, adverse, baleful, baneful, damaging, dangerous, deleterious, detrimental, evil, harmful, hurtful, ill, injurious, nocuous, noxious, pernicious, prejudicial

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Mischievous

Words with the opposite meaning of Mischievous:

behaved, behaving, nice, orderly, anodyne, benign, harmless, hurtless, innocent, innocuous, inoffensive, safe

Related Words for Mischievous

antic, coltish, coy, frisky, frolicsome, kittenish, playful, sportful, sportive, gay, happy, lighthearted, whimsical, energetic, lively, spirited, sprightly, artful, crafty, cunning, trickish, tricky, wily, troublemaking, pestering, riling, teasing, defiant, disrespectful, ill-mannered

Near Antonyms of Mischievous

grave, grim, sedate, sober, solemn, staid, stern, acquiescent, compliant, complying, dutiful, obedient, submissive, clean, correct, decent, decorous, moral, proper, respectable, considerate, courteous, kindly, mannerly, polite, thoughtful, angelic, cherubic, divine, heavenly

Word Forms of Mischievous

Derived words: mischievously (adverb), mischievousness (noun)

Origin & Etymology of Mischievous

First known use: 14th century

Frequently Asked Questions about Mischievous

What does "Mischievous" mean?

"Mischievous" means able or tending to cause annoyance, trouble, or minor injury. As an adjective, it is defined as: able or tending to cause annoyance, trouble, or minor injury. It has 3 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Mischievous"?

Other words for "Mischievous" include arch, devilish, elvish, espiègle, impish, knavish, leprechaunish and pixie. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Mischievous" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Mischievous"?

There are 159 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Mischievous". Common alternatives include arch, devilish, elvish, espiègle, impish, knavish, leprechaunish, pixie, pixieish and prankish.

What is the opposite of "Mischievous"?

Antonyms of "Mischievous" include behaved, behaving, nice, orderly, anodyne, benign, harmless and hurtless. Near antonyms include grave, grim, sedate and sober.

How do you use "Mischievous" in a sentence?

Examples of "Mischievous" in a sentence: "the children had been so mischievous that we had to pay the babysitter extra and then clean up the mess"; "punished for their mischievous tricks on the neighbors"; "mischievous gossip that ruined a good teacher's reputation".

Is "Mischievous" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Mischievous" is an adjective.

How do you pronounce "Mischievous"?

"Mischievous" is pronounced /ˈmis-chə-vəs/ and divided into syllables as mis·chie·vous.

What is the origin of the word "Mischievous"?

First known use: 14th century.