as in mischievous
tending to or exhibiting reckless playfulness
told the prankish lad that someone would eventually get hurt if he kept it up
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Recent Examples of prankish
And within the prankish world created by the production, not everyone was in on the joke.
—
David Renard, New York Times, 1 May 2025
Fuchs put a prankish spin on the descending octaves that tootle above the reprise of the symphony’s solemn opening.
—Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 9 Dec. 2024
While Gandhi begins his pursuit with a largely prankish approach, his film (and the gimmick anchoring it) surprisingly illuminates what some people gain from becoming part of a communal family.
—Declan Gallagher, EW.com, 31 July 2024
The movie alternates between prankish laughs and visual poetry.
—Amy Nicholson, Washington Post, 28 Mar. 2024
The tone of the music is dark and hellish mixed with silly and prankish.
—Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 22 Mar. 2024
David Renard, New York Times, 1 May 2025
Fuchs put a prankish spin on the descending octaves that tootle above the reprise of the symphony’s solemn opening.
—Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 9 Dec. 2024
While Gandhi begins his pursuit with a largely prankish approach, his film (and the gimmick anchoring it) surprisingly illuminates what some people gain from becoming part of a communal family.
—Declan Gallagher, EW.com, 31 July 2024
The movie alternates between prankish laughs and visual poetry.
—Amy Nicholson, Washington Post, 28 Mar. 2024
The tone of the music is dark and hellish mixed with silly and prankish.
—Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 22 Mar. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prankish
Adjective
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An 1856 drawing of a popular San Francisco saloon known as the Cobweb Palace depicts a crowd of humans joined by two dogs, a pig, a parrot, and six monkeys—at least two of whom seem to be doing mischievous battle with men in the crowd.—
Livia Gershon,
JSTOR Daily,
21 Sep. 2025
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Behind the decks, a mischievous, trigger-happy DJ Próvaí occasionally came in a beat too early, adding an air of levity to the occasion.—
Sophie Williams,
Billboard,
19 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Laura was also funny, so funny – and had a wicked sense of humor.—
Peter White,
Deadline,
25 Sep. 2025
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Michelle was 16, entering her junior year at Lakewood High, a fiercely competitive swimmer with a wicked sense of humor.—
Ted Katauskas,
Outside,
23 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Western details with a playful Mickey Mouse embroidery adorn sweatshirts and T-shirts.—
Julia Teti,
Footwear News,
24 Sep. 2025
-
The 12 colors in the palette Frosted Tints articulate that notion clearly thanks to their playful separation of blues and greens from any biophilic context.—
Tim Nelson,
Architectural Digest,
24 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Prankish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prankish. Accessed 1 Oct. 2025.
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