mischievous
adjective
mis·chie·vous
ˈmis-chə-vəs 
ˈmish-;
nonstandard
mis-ˈchē-vē-əs
mish-
2
a
: able or tending to cause annoyance, trouble, or minor injury
b
: irresponsibly playful
mischievous behavior
mischievously
adverb
mischievousness
noun
Mischievous vs. Mischievious: Usage Guide
A pronunciation \mis-ˈchē-vē-əs\ and a consequent spelling mischievious are of long standing: evidence for the spelling goes back to the 16th century. Our pronunciation files contain modern attestations ranging from dialect speakers to Herbert Hoover. But both the pronunciation and the spelling are still considered nonstandard.
Synonyms
Examples of mischievous in a Sentence
In passing the test of killing itself if infected, cancerous or genetically mischievous, a cell by definition dies.
—
Matt Ridley, Genome, 1999
… Pedro Martinez, could be found in the dugout, usually wearing sneakers instead of spikes, his tongue flying about as fiercely as one of his mischievous fastballs.
—Tom Verducci, Sports Illustrated, 11 Oct. 1999
Setsu grew, too, from a mischievous, laughing little girl into a gay, willful, pretty girl.
—Pearl S. Buck, The Big Wave, 1947
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
Matt Ridley, Genome, 1999
… Pedro Martinez, could be found in the dugout, usually wearing sneakers instead of spikes, his tongue flying about as fiercely as one of his mischievous fastballs.
—Tom Verducci, Sports Illustrated, 11 Oct. 1999
Setsu grew, too, from a mischievous, laughing little girl into a gay, willful, pretty girl.
—Pearl S. Buck, The Big Wave, 1947
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
Recent Examples on the Web
Mangold depicts Cash in both Walk the Line and A Complete Unknown as nervy mysteries always on the edge of a breakdown, though Boyd Holbrook plays him as more mischievous and good-humored compared to the brooding Joaquin Phoenix.
—Brady Gerber, Vulture, 24 Dec. 2024
With the school empty and lessons on pause, Paul unexpectedly strikes up a friendship with a mischievous pupil (Dominic Sessa) and the school's head cook (Da'Vine Joy Randolph).
—Kelsie Gibson, People.com, 17 Dec. 2024
The Yule Lads, their parents and their cat Origin: Iceland
The Yule Lads are 13 mischievous boys, each with a distinct name and description, who cause mayhem in the 13 days leading up to Christmas.
—Jennifer Borresen, USA TODAY, 13 Dec. 2024
The story behind the 'mischievous' Raven The Raven in Singletary's exhibit does not — initially at least — have the characteristic black feathers.
—Domenica Bongiovanni, The Indianapolis Star, 8 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for mischievous 
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Brady Gerber, Vulture, 24 Dec. 2024
With the school empty and lessons on pause, Paul unexpectedly strikes up a friendship with a mischievous pupil (Dominic Sessa) and the school's head cook (Da'Vine Joy Randolph).
—Kelsie Gibson, People.com, 17 Dec. 2024
The Yule Lads, their parents and their cat Origin: Iceland
The Yule Lads are 13 mischievous boys, each with a distinct name and description, who cause mayhem in the 13 days leading up to Christmas.
—Jennifer Borresen, USA TODAY, 13 Dec. 2024
The story behind the 'mischievous' Raven The Raven in Singletary's exhibit does not — initially at least — have the characteristic black feathers.
—Domenica Bongiovanni, The Indianapolis Star, 8 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for mischievous
Video
'Mispronunciations' That May Be Fine
'Mischievous,' 'nuclear,' and other words to pronounce with caution.
Dictionary Entries Near mischievous
Cite this Entry
“Mischievous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mischievous. Accessed 27 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
mischievous
adjective
mis·chie·vous
ˈmis-chə-vəs
ˈmish-
ˈmish-
1
: harming or intended to do harm
mischievous gossip
2
: causing or tending to cause minor injury or annoyance
a mischievous puppy
3
: showing a spirit of mischief
mischievous behavior
mischievously
adverb
mischievousness
noun
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