mischief

noun

ˈmis-chəf How to pronounce mischief (audio)
Definition of mischiefnext
1
as in devilment
playful, reckless behavior that is not intended to cause serious harm the children claimed that setting off a firecracker was harmless mischief, but they got a lecture anyway

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in playfulness
a natural disposition for playful behavior your mother was full of mischief as a child, believe it or not

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3
as in monkey
an appealingly mischievous person he's a little mischief who means no harm

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of mischief The titular nomad needed, perhaps, an actor with a little more mischief and roguishness to sell his transformation from conman to folk hero (Harrison Ford, 55 at the time, may have been a good alternative). — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 3 July 2026 Police arrested the pair on charges of burglary, reckless endangerment, criminal mischief, criminal trespass, criminal tampering, possession of burglar's tools, disorderly conduct and other offenses. — Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 2 July 2026 Nikolau and Kuznetsov have been charged with multiple crimes, including burglary, reckless endangerment, criminal mischief and more, sources said. — Jesse Zanger, CBS News, 1 July 2026 The chapters moved from crime rates to cheating teachers to drug dealers living with their mothers, linking unlikely variables with a kind of intellectual mischief that felt almost illicit. — Alexander Puutio, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for mischief
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mischief
  1. devilment
  2. playfulness
  3. monkey
  4. mischievousness
  5. devil
  6. wickedness
  7. rascality
  8. devilry
Noun
  • Mustard and vinegar provide the devilment for a flavorful bite, particularly when topped with a scattering of scallions and paprika.
    — SAVEUR Editors, Saveur, 5 Feb. 2025
  • But even if truffles are beyond your pay grade, there is plenty of enjoyment to be had in the sheer devilment portrayed in this informative and appetizing book.
    — Eugenia Bone, WSJ, 10 July 2019
Definition of devilment
Noun
  • The playfulness comes in sometimes in just where the solos are placed.
    — Chris Willman, Variety, 11 July 2026
  • Even the album title feels Westerbergian in its snotty playfulness.
    — Jeff Yerger, Pitchfork, 9 July 2026
Definition of playfulness
Noun
  • Officials said nearly 100 monkeys broke through part of an enclosure at the Lopburi Municipality Animal Nursery.
    — Brittany Miller, FOXNews.com, 30 June 2026
  • Some data suggest that, at least in captivity, more than a third of squirrel-monkey babies may die, Lia Betti, an anthropologist at University College London and one of the study’s authors, told me.
    — Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 29 June 2026
Definition of monkey
Noun
  • The tension latent in Jobim and Regina’s working relationship gives their rendition a mischievousness that’s sorely missed in the monotony of Art Garfunkel’s version, or the twee precision of Susannah McCorkle’s.
    — Lily Goldberg, Pitchfork, 13 June 2026
  • Social media users can’t get enough of Chico’s antics, as many lauded his mischievousness.
    — Alyce Collins, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025
Definition of mischievousness
Noun
  • Common examples include dumb cane, calla lily, pothos or devil’s ivy, peace lily, Chinese evergreen, elephant ear, ZZ plant, philodendron, Swiss cheese plant and flamingo plant.
    — Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 14 July 2026
  • On the finish, notes of warming oak with tannins to spare, devil’s food cake, root beer, demerara syrup, black cherry, vanilla, espresso grounds and clove.
    — Chris Perugini, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026
Definition of devil
Noun
  • Max Cady should be an unsettling interruption, a man who undermines our ideas of right and wrong through his nonchalance about his own wickedness; here, the most unsettling thing about him are those teal contact lenses.
    — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 26 June 2026
  • On the day of Cal and John's Sabbath fight over Cal's hair, Reverend Rose delivers a sermon that focuses on wickedness and fear.
    — Paula Cooper, CBS News, 5 May 2026
Definition of wickedness
Noun
  • Still, the pure rascality in these extravagant self-inventions shouldn’t be overlooked.
    — Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 4 Aug. 2025
Definition of rascality
Noun
  • Dancing spirits, dressed in Victorian-era garb, stir up devilry as the night unfolds.
    — Abby Hamblin, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Oct. 2025
  • If Michael Jackson moonwalked so that Prince could show us the face of God with his brain-melting 2007 set, the NFL’s reaction to Fox’s inspired bit of devilry set the stage for the league’s eventual takeover of the American psyche.
    — Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 17 Oct. 2025
Definition of devilry

Browse Nearby Words

mischarging
mischief
mischiefs
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Cite this Entry

“Mischief.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mischief. Accessed 19 Jul. 2026.

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