as in mischievous
tending to or exhibiting reckless playfulness
the gang of impish children ran into the street, utterly oblivious to the traffic
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of impish
Together, even when the cameras are off, the hosts are affable and garrulous, veering from one riff to another with the impish energy of drive-time radio hosts who monitor Rasmussen polling instead of batting averages.
—
Aidan McLaughlin, Vanity Fair, 19 Feb. 2026
Sun Ra was simultaneously impish and imperious, bossing us with wiggles of his hands.
—Literary Hub, 13 Feb. 2026
Yolanda was still impish and unafraid to speak her mind.
—Sean Williams, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
However, while trying to confront grief with a sense of mischief, the movie’s impish tonal approach takes the sting out of death a little too often, rendering its catharsis null.
—Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 23 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for impish
Aidan McLaughlin, Vanity Fair, 19 Feb. 2026
Sun Ra was simultaneously impish and imperious, bossing us with wiggles of his hands.
—Literary Hub, 13 Feb. 2026
Yolanda was still impish and unafraid to speak her mind.
—Sean Williams, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
However, while trying to confront grief with a sense of mischief, the movie’s impish tonal approach takes the sting out of death a little too often, rendering its catharsis null.
—Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 23 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for impish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for impish
Adjective
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Creative courage returns as the instinctive Moon conjoins mischievous Mercury in your 5th House of Play, urging you to express whatever stirs within.—
Tarot.com,
Baltimore Sun,
17 Mar. 2026
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However, his capacity to transform physically yet never lose the beautiful mind and mischievous spirit of genius Stephen Hawking, living with the paralyzing effects of ALS, is what's supremely remarkable about his performance.—
Devan Coggan,
Entertainment Weekly,
15 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Her taste for wicked, wildly inventive terror continues to make the increasingly beloved festival’s bite-sized offerings one of its most reliable highlights.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
11 Mar. 2026
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In the first film, Cynthia Erivo’s not-so-wicked witch Elphaba has the more interesting character arc.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The fashion icon made a playful reference to the film while presenting the award for best makeup and hairstyling alongside Hathaway.—
Edward Segarra,
USA Today,
16 Mar. 2026
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The collection was still as sexy as ever though, with the playful print appearing on itty-bitty bikinis, barely-there blouses, and, as seen here in look 3, low-slung trousers.—
Rosie Jarman,
Vogue,
16 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Impish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impish. Accessed 18 Mar. 2026.
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