Definition of mischievous in English:
mischievous
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adjective
1(of a person, animal, or their behavior) causing or showing a fondness for causing trouble in a playful way.
‘two mischievous kittens had decorated the bed with shredded newspaper’- ‘I can be playful, mischievous, or silly depending on how you look at things.’
- ‘He phoned a pal who told him to try to ease the mischievous kitten from under the machine using cooking oil.’
- ‘This politician is charming and likeable but carries the air of a bit of a mischievous rogue.’
- ‘Barry grins back, a natural expression that makes him look mischievous.’
- ‘Kyle looked a bit upset but Jonathan just got a mischievous look on his face.’
- ‘A council has waged war on mischievous Halloween youngsters by banning children from buying eggs, it emerged today.’
- ‘I could see that same mischievous glint in his eyes which was once a part of his personality.’
- ‘His dark brown eyes had the same mischievous glint.’
- ‘The two boys looked at each other, and a little mischievous grin developed between them.’
- ‘Byron was shoved out of the way rather forcefully by two identical twins with very mischievous grins.’
- ‘He gave her a little mischievous smile and returned his attention back to the teacher.’
- ‘I turned back to Chase and gave him a little mischievous smile.’
- ‘Sam shook his head, and a slightly mischievous smile appeared on his face.’
- ‘She smiled at the mussed blonde hair and the cute, slightly mischievous look on Adrian's face.’
- ‘She almost believed him until she saw the mischievous gleam in his brown eyes.’
- ‘Me, I love my nephew to death, but I think he needs to be a bit more mischievous.’
- ‘You never saw two siblings that were more mischievous.’
- ‘His mother keeps a careful eye on the youngster to stop him being mischievous.’
- ‘I am not being mischievous, but just stating the facts as I see them.’
- ‘Sure he was a bit mischievous, but so was she.’
naughty, bad, badly behaved, misbehaving, disobedient, troublesome, vexatious, full of mischiefplayful, teasing, wicked, impish, puckish, roguish, waggish, archView synonyms- 1.1(of an action or thing) causing or intended to cause harm or trouble.‘a mischievous allegation for which there is not a shred of evidence’
- ‘He gave a mischievous response when asked if he will continue to speak his mind if he feels circumstances demand that.’
- ‘This practice of profiling is mischievous and harmful to a tolerant and developing society.’
- ‘At some point, the paper will do something mischievous that prompts questions to be asked of its management.’
- ‘Can anyone direct us to where these mischievous articles have appeared?’
- ‘He simply cannot understand how reasonable people allow such a mischievous system to endure.’
- ‘He is always doing something mischievous and looks guilty at all times.’
malicious, malevolent, hostile, spiteful, bitter, venomous, poisonous, evil-intentioned, ill-natured, evil, baleful, vindictive, vengeful, vitriolic, rancorous, malign, malignant, pernicious, mean, nasty, harmful, hurtful, destructive, wounding, cruel, unkind, defamatoryView synonyms
Pronunciation
Usage
Mischievous is a three-syllable word. It should not be pronounced with four syllables with the stress on the second syllable, as if it were spelled mischievious
Origin
Middle English from Anglo-Norman French meschevous, from Old French meschever ‘come to an unfortunate end’ (see mischief). The early sense was ‘unfortunate or calamitous’, later ‘having harmful effects’; the sense ‘playfully troublesome’ dates from the late 17th century.
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