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

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer Based on author Mark Twain's own childhood in Hannibal, Missouri, this book follows the escapades of a boy with an adventurous, and often mischievous, spirit growing up along the Mississippi River. — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 25 June 2026

Police secured an arrest warrant for Dobbins in connection with involuntary manslaughter and negligent ownership of a mischievous animal causing serious bodily injury and/or death to another. — Summer Lin, Los Angeles Times, 25 June 2026

In House of the Dragon’s season 2 premiere, Aegon II brought him to a meeting where Jaehaerys II was mischievous and bored. — Skyler Trepel, PEOPLE, 22 June 2026

The show features a wide cast of colorful characters, namely Ginger’s mother Lois (Laraine Newman), her quirky friends Dodie (Aspen Vincent) and Macie (Jackie Harris Greenberg), and her mischievous little brother Carl (Jeannie Elias). — Skyler Trepel, Entertainment Weekly, 20 June 2026

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