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
In person, Wood is funny but sedate, speaking in a deadpan carried along by a prankish undercurrent.
—
Ismail Muhammad, New York Times, 20 Feb. 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
In person, Wood is funny but sedate, speaking in a deadpan carried along by a prankish undercurrent.
—Ismail Muhammad, New York Times, 20 Feb. 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
Think of him on Hot 97 with a straight face, occasionally a prankish smirk, pushing a theory that Ray J is a pivotal influence on all of Black culture.
—Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 16 Feb. 2024
Ismail Muhammad, New York Times, 20 Feb. 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
In person, Wood is funny but sedate, speaking in a deadpan carried along by a prankish undercurrent.
—Ismail Muhammad, New York Times, 20 Feb. 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
Think of him on Hot 97 with a straight face, occasionally a prankish smirk, pushing a theory that Ray J is a pivotal influence on all of Black culture.
—Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 16 Feb. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prankish
Adjective
-
Clark, who wore a mischievous smile, flayed her arm once more for the dramatics before stepping on the court and finishing a defensive drill.—
James Boyd,
New York Times,
29 Apr. 2025
-
Isaacs appeared in the film series as the father of Tom Felton's Draco Malfoy, a Hogwarts student wizard who serves as a mischievous antagonist opposite Harry Potter (Radcliffe), Ron Weasley (Grint), and Hermione Granger (Watson).—
Joey Nolfi,
EW.com,
25 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Havoc brings the heat, throwing Tom Hardy's stony Walker into a hotbed of gangsters, dirty cops, corrupt elites, and wicked assassins.—
Randall Colburn,
EW.com,
28 Apr. 2025
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Dafoe rocks an aerodynamic pompadour and wicked attitude as the leader of a biker gang who kidnaps a rock singer (Diane Lane) and has a showdown with her ex (Michael Paré).—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
28 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Johansson brings a playful, global sensibility to Greenlandic staples—using local ingredients like capelin and ptarmigan in ways that draw from both Asian and Mediterranean influences.—
Jordi Lippe-McGraw,
Forbes.com,
24 Apr. 2025
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This playful, colorful apartment block designed by Friedensreich Hundertwasser ignores straight lines entirely and proves that architecture can be joyful rebellion.—
Lilah Ramzi,
Vogue,
24 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Prankish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prankish. Accessed 4 May. 2025.
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