puckish

adjective

ˈpə-kish How to pronounce puckish (audio)
Definition of puckishnext
as in mischievous
tending to or exhibiting reckless playfulness he takes a puckish delight in teasing her about her love life, or lack thereof

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 puckish The book forfeits the puckish immediacy of Bush’s Instagram dispatches for more earnest, effortful prose. — Hannah Goldfield, New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2026 Throughout it all, he's maintained a puckish, playful approach. — Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 8 Feb. 2026 Her politics grew out of puckish sass—a need to trouble the authority of her conservative parents—as much as out of an essential righteousness. — Literary Hub, 4 Dec. 2025 And chuckled with Spicy, Austin’s own puckish cartoonist. — Steve Sewall, Chicago Tribune, 18 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for puckish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for puckish
  1. mischievous
  2. wicked
  3. playful
  4. impish
  5. prankish
Adjective
  • Never hearing your voice or seeing that unmistakably mischievous grin that so many people knew and loved?
    — Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 14 Oct. 2026
  • KidSuper founder Colm Dillane has always had a mischievous side.
    — Jean E. Palmieri, Footwear News, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of mischievous
Adjective
  • From glittering ghosts, ghastly goblins and wicked witches to wily warlocks, fashion can inspire any Halloween transformation.
    — Tonya Blazio-Licorish, Footwear News, 18 Oct. 2026
  • Well known for his wicked sense of humor, O’Donnell traveled to Russia, China and elsewhere to train local writers and directors in the art of the American sitcom.
    — Mike Barnes, HollywoodReporter, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of wicked
Adjective
  • In a Harris Poll survey published Wednesday, 65% of American adults reported spending $100 or more on playful activities or products — such as craft kits or action figures — for personal enjoyment between June 2025 and June 2026.
    — Renée Onque, CNBC, 23 Oct. 2026
  • For Grande, whose ponytail has long been as recognizable as her voice, the new look is a playful departure that still stays true to her vibe.
    — Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of playful
Adjective
  • Forget the impish house DJ that ran with Stockholm’s left-field Studio Barnhus label.
    — Harry Thorfinn-George, Pitchfork, 22 Oct. 2026
  • But none of that martial-arts mayhem is as compelling as the battle being waged behind the scenes as director Kitao Sakurai tries to insert his irreverent, ironic approach into a property resistant to that kind of impish goofing around.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of impish
Adjective
  • The catastrophies that our heroine averts are awfully small potatoes — a bulldozer running amok, an amusement park ride speeding out of control, some prankish teenagers scheming to turn the girl’s shower into a steambath.
    — Arthur Knight, HollywoodReporter, 25 June 2026
  • Angela Balogh Calin’s costumes prepare the way for Ionesco’s prankish jokes.
    — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2026
Definition of prankish

Browse Nearby Words

puckery
puckish
pucks
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Cite this Entry

“Puckish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/puckish. Accessed 25 Oct. 2026.

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