mischievous
adjective
mis·chie·vous ˈmis-chə-vəs 
ˈmish-;
nonstandard
mis-ˈchē-vē-əs mish-
1
: harmful, injurious
mischievous gossip
2
a
: able or tending to cause annoyance, trouble, or minor injury
b
: irresponsibly playful
mischievous behavior
mischievously adverb
mischievousness noun
Synonyms
- arch
- devilish
- elvish
- espiègle
- impish
- knavish
- leprechaunish
- pixie
- pixy
- pixieish
- prankish
- puckish
- rascally
- roguish
- scampish
- sly
- tricksy
- waggish
- wicked
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
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 Still, the 1940 Pinocchio does have a mischievous streak, along with his famed penchant for untruth. David Sims, The Atlantic, 10 Sep. 2022 Charles presents himself with considerable reserve, with little of the mischievous humor the queen at times displayed. Christina Boyle, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2022 One month to the day of her injury, Bueckers could smile, crack a mischievous joke here and there. Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 1 Sep. 2022 Indeed to sanctify your memory would be to miss out on the very core of your being, your wonderfully mischievous sense of humor with a laugh that bent you double. Caroline Hallemann, Town & Country, 31 Aug. 2022 Some say this is the best time to be in the stadium: less regimented, a little more mischievous (in the stands, at least). Leena Kim, Town & Country, 28 Aug. 2022 Ackles played the mischievous-but-understanding, shirt-jacket-loving Dean Winchester for a full 15 seasons, right up until the show aired its series finale in 2020. Carrie Wittmer, Men's Health, 20 July 2022 Now consider Janis Joplin’s rendition: intense, unmoored, intriguing, mischievous. Liza Weisstuch, BostonGlobe.com, 17 May 2022 Mottley, who was then 52, can appear mischievous in the moments before her bluntest declarations, but on this evening her steely side showed. Abrahm Lustgarten, ProPublica, 27 July 2022 See More
David Sims, The Atlantic, 10 Sep. 2022 Charles presents himself with considerable reserve, with little of the mischievous humor the queen at times displayed. Christina Boyle, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2022 One month to the day of her injury, Bueckers could smile, crack a mischievous joke here and there. Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 1 Sep. 2022 Indeed to sanctify your memory would be to miss out on the very core of your being, your wonderfully mischievous sense of humor with a laugh that bent you double. Caroline Hallemann, Town & Country, 31 Aug. 2022 Some say this is the best time to be in the stadium: less regimented, a little more mischievous (in the stands, at least). Leena Kim, Town & Country, 28 Aug. 2022 Ackles played the mischievous-but-understanding, shirt-jacket-loving Dean Winchester for a full 15 seasons, right up until the show aired its series finale in 2020. Carrie Wittmer, Men's Health, 20 July 2022 Now consider Janis Joplin’s rendition: intense, unmoored, intriguing, mischievous. Liza Weisstuch, BostonGlobe.com, 17 May 2022 Mottley, who was then 52, can appear mischievous in the moments before her bluntest declarations, but on this evening her steely side showed. Abrahm Lustgarten, ProPublica, 27 July 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
see mischief
First Known Use
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Kids Definition
mischievous
adjective
mis·chie·vous ˈmis-chə-vəs
1
: causing or likely to cause minor injury or harm
a mischievous puppy
2
: showing a spirit of irresponsible fun or playfulness
The boy had a mischievous look on his face.
3
: harming or intended to do harm
mischievous gossip
mischievous
adjective
1
as in wicked
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 Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- wicked
- playful
- impish
- naughty
- prankish
- roguish
- pixie
- waggish
- sly
- rascally
- knavish
- puckish
- devilish
- cunning
- tricksy
- pixieish
- pixy
- scampish
- teasing
- happy
- elvish
- arch
- whimsical
- lively
- frisky
- frolicsome
- energetic
- coy
- lighthearted
- antic
- wily
- sportful
- spirited
- espiègle
- leprechaunish
- kittenish
- sportive
- coltish
- troublemaking
- crafty
- sprightly
- misbehaving
- gay
- artful
- tricky
- trickish
- pestering
- riling
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- solemn
- grim
- stern
- grave
- sober
- staid
- sedate
2
as in naughty
engaging in or marked by childish misbehavior punished for their mischievous tricks on the neighbors Synonyms & Similar Words
- naughty
- bad
- rebellious
- childish
- rude
- misbehaving
- errant
- selfish
- wild
- wicked
- impudent
- contrary
- impish
- froward
- defiant
- immature
- insolent
- prankish
- improper
- roguish
- juvenile
- wayward
- disobedient
- unruly
- uncontrollable
- waggish
- disrespectful
- indecorous
- obstreperous
- headstrong
- unmannerly
- willful
- uncouth
- elfish
- evil
- rascally
- ornery
- knavish
- monkeying
- rowdy
- corrupt
- recalcitrant
- impolite
- dissolute
- perverse
- wilful
- ill-mannered
- ill-natured
- restive
- intractable
- mutinous
- ungovernable
- ruffianly
- thoughtless
- wrongheaded
- untoward
- disorderly
- unkind
- transgressing
- refractory
- balky
- arch
- pixieish
- inconsiderate
- infantile
- puerile
- unkindly
- disobliging
- insurgent
- babyish
- monkeyish
- kiddish
- jejune
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- behaved
- dutiful
- moral
- nice
- obedient
- orderly
- correct
- submissive
- proper
- compliant
- acquiescent
- thoughtful
- divine
- clean
- complying
- respectable
- polite
- courteous
- angelic
- decorous
- considerate
- kindly
- decent
- amiable
- cherubic
- behaving
- docile
- mannerly
- heavenly
- pleasant
- amenable
- tractable
- angelical
- complaisant
- modest
- good-natured
- discreet
- mature
- adult
- obliging
- governable
- grown-up
3
as in dangerous
causing or capable of causing harm mischievous gossip that ruined a good teacher's reputation Synonyms & Similar Words
- dangerous
- harmful
- damaging
- adverse
- detrimental
- evil
- bad
- wicked
- infectious
- pernicious
- baneful
- hazardous
- poisonous
- injurious
- hurtful
- baleful
- deleterious
- prejudicial
- noxious
- sinister
- destructive
- ill
- hostile
- nocuous
- deadly
- menacing
- insidious
- venomous
- unfriendly
- ominous
- risky
- lethal
- infective
- unsafe
- pestilent
- contagious
- pestiferous
- inimical
- threatening
- perilous
- malignant
- pestilential
- unwholesome
- nasty
- fatal
- ruinous
- unhealthy
- noisome
- unsound
- unhealthful
- killer
- parlous
- jeopardizing
- imperiling
- imperilling
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- innocent
- harmless
- benign
- innocuous
- safe
- useful
- beneficial
- inoffensive
- advantageous
- good
- favorable
- anodyne
- wholesome
- helpful
- propitious
- healthy
- healthful
- remedial
- salutary
- salubrious
- hurtless
- curative
- sound
- secure
- benignant
- palliative
- nondestructive
- nonpoisonous
- nontoxic
- noninfectious
- nonfatal
- noncorrosive
- nonlethal
- nonpolluting
- nonvenomous
- craniographer
- craniological
- craniologically
- craniologies
- craniologist
- craniologists
- craniology
- craniometers
- craniometric point
- craniometries
- craniometrist
- craniometrists
- craniometry
- craniosacral
- craniosacral therapy
- cranioscopists
- craniosynostoses
- craniosynostosis
- Craniota
- craniotomies
- craniotomy
- craniotopography
- cranium
- craniums
- crank