as in playful
given to good-natured joking or teasing
an elfish comedian who often played lovable drunks and wisecracking sidekicks
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Recent Examples of elfish
Santa’s elves are generous souls, not elfish.
—
Richard Lederer, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Dec. 2025
But showing a recent visitor his awards, Shannon, who at 75 has a shock of snowy hair and an elfish grin, seemed almost embarrassed.
—John Horgan, IEEE Spectrum, 27 Apr. 2016
Richard Lederer, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Dec. 2025
But showing a recent visitor his awards, Shannon, who at 75 has a shock of snowy hair and an elfish grin, seemed almost embarrassed.
—John Horgan, IEEE Spectrum, 27 Apr. 2016
Recent Examples of Synonyms for elfish
playful
Adjective
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Its rooms are layered with classical references, playful objets and a rich colour palette.—
Vicki Power,
TheWeek,
23 Mar. 2026
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The family is now left with memories of Barbara's smile and her famous tamales, and Aron's playful antics and artwork.—
Amelia Mugavero,
CBS News,
23 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Elfish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/elfish. Accessed 25 Mar. 2026.
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