PUCKISH Synonyms: 55 Similar and Opposite Words

puckish

adjective

ˈpə-kish

Definition of puckish

as in mischievous

tending to or exhibiting reckless playfulness he takes a puckish delight in teasing her about her love life, or lack thereof

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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

Adjective

Bill Hader voices the titular character in the cartooned version, which revolves around the shenanigans that occur after a mischievous cat (donning a hat) arrives to cheer up two siblings who move to a new town.

— Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 8 Nov. 2026
Gosselaar rose to fame in the early ‘90s for his portrayal of the mischievous protagonist of Bayside High School.

— Kaitlin Simpson, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Nov. 2026

Definition of mischievous

Adjective

Mischa Glooshkoff, aka Michael Graves, has light brown curls, a wicked grin, and a wiry frame—perfect casting for the grand boulevardier who would lead my naïve young father astray.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 26 Oct. 2026
There’s also the problem of Angelique’s wicked stepmother, Argan’s gold-digging second wife, Beline.

— Sara Holdren, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of wicked

Adjective

The sandals were a true statement piece, featuring a playful pom-pom design front and center; the voluminous embellishment is crafted from layers of thin strips of fabric.

— Jaden Thompson, Footwear News, 13 Nov. 2026
Someone has to understand why a particular signal matters in Seoul and lands differently in Dallas, or why a phrase that reads as playful to one group carries a completely different history for another.

— Alison Murdock, Forbes.com, 12 Nov. 2026

Definition of playful

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

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puckery

puckish

pucks

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“Puckish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/puckish. Accessed 15 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of puckish

adjective

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