mischievous

adjective

mis·​chie·​vous ˈmis-chə-vəs 

ˈmish-;

nonstandard

mis-ˈchē-vē-əs 

mish-

1

a

: able or tending to cause annoyance, trouble, or minor injury

a sheet torn by a mischievous puppy

b

: showing a playful desire to cause trouble

mischievous behavior

a mischievous smile

2

: intended to harm someone or someone's reputation : harmful, injurious

spreading mischievous gossip

mischievously adverb

… technology … can be used either mischievously by hackers or generously by people of goodwill …

—Chet Bowers

mischievousness noun

To keep himself … imbued with the mischievousness that nourished him, Paul [Newman] often resorted to practical jokes.

—A. E. Hotchner

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 of mischievous

• wicked
• playful
• impish
• naughty
• pixie
• roguish
• prankish

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

Recent Examples on the Web

Clearly, Rascal lived up to his mischievous name by finding the well in the first place. —Tj MacIas, Miami Herald, 29 Oct. 2025

Mykal-Michelle Harris from Raven’s Home guest-stars as Ruby, a mischievous moon imp who tricks Vee. —Allison McClain Merrill, Parents, 27 Oct. 2025

Several shared their own similar experiences with mischievous dogs and workers in the comments. —Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Oct. 2025

When the Maitlands' attempts to frighten the Deetzes away fail miserably, Barbara and Adam turn to the mysterious and mischievous Beetlejuice (Michael Keaton) to rid them of the living. —Steven Thrash, Entertainment Weekly, 25 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

see mischief

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Video

'Mispronunciations' That May Be Fine

'Mischievous,' 'nuclear,' and other words to pronounce with caution.

Kids Definition

mischievous

adjective

mis·​chie·​vous ˈmis-chə-vəs  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