mischief

1 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 Synonyms devilishness, devilment, devilry (or deviltry), diablerie, espièglerie, hob, impishness, knavery, mischievousness, rascality, roguery, roguishness, shenanigan(s), waggery, waggishness, wickedness Related Words diabolicalness, misbehavior, misconduct, naughtiness, troublemaking; buffoonery, friskiness, playfulness, sportiveness; chicanery, trickery; goings-on, hanky-panky, high jinks (also hijinks), monkey business, monkeying, monkeyshine(s), skylarking, tomfoolery; horseplay, roughhousing; antic, caper, dido, practical joke, trick; aggravation, annoyance, exasperation, irritation Near Antonyms gravitas, gravity, seriousness, solemnity, solemnness

2 a natural disposition for playful behavior your mother was full of mischief as a child, believe it or not Synonyms coltishness, espièglerie, friskiness, impishness, larkiness, playfulness, mischievousness, prankishness, sportfulness, sportiveness, tricksinessRelated Words coyness, kittenishness; archness, devilment, devilry (or deviltry), hob, rascality, roguishness, waggery; devilishness, diabolicalness, knavery; frivolousness; energy, liveliness, spiritedness, sprightliness, spunkiness, vivaciousness, vivacity; gaiety (also gayety), jocularity, jocundity, lightheartedness, mirthfulness, whimsicalityNear Antonyms graveness, grimness, serious-mindedness, seriousness, solemnity, solemnness, sternness; priggishness, starchiness, stuffiness; constraint, restraint, self-controlAntonyms earnestness, soberness, sobersidedness

3 an appealingly mischievous person he's a little mischief who means no harm Synonyms devil, hellion, imp, scamp, monkey, rapscallion, rascal, rogue, urchinRelated Words cutup, larker, madcap, skylarker; ragamuffin; brat, disrupter, misbehaver, nuisance; juvenile delinquent; gamin, gamineNear Antonyms beast, boor, cad, churl, clown, creep, cretin, cur, heel, joker, louse, lout, skunk, snake, stinkard, stinker; knave, miscreant, reprobate, scalawag (or scallywag), scapegrace, scoundrel, varlet, villain