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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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

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

To avenge an injustice and restore honor, a good yakuza, like Ken-san, would set off alone for a suicidal last stand against his wicked rivals.

— Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
That unholy resurrection gives William some wicked supernatural powers to go along with his slick swordplay.

— ABC News, ABC News, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of wicked

Adjective

No human character seems to behave like a real person, and the Other Mommy is merely an impish rogue along the lines of Pennywise the Clown, minus the child eating.

— Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 8 Oct. 2026
The models in the film, meanwhile, run the spectrum from docile to diva — including Evangelista, who’s entreating the camera with an impish smile even while having a little fit backstage.

— Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 25 Sep. 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

See all Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

Style

“Puckish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/puckish. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of puckish

adjective

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

bon vivant

Popular in Grammar & Usage

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Popular in Wordplay

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 16

Popular

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

Games & Quizzes