as in naughty
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as in misbehavior
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of troublemaking
Tim Grierson, Vulture, 7 Mar. 2026
Scottish actor John Hannah was Evelyn’s troublemaking brother Jonathan.
—Andrew Walsh, Entertainment Weekly, 9 Nov. 2025
Over the years, Greg has gotten into fights with his best friend Rowley and troublemaking brother Rodrick, he’s gone to summer camp and saved his school, even tried his hand (disastrously) at sports.
—Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 21 Oct. 2025
Adjective
There’s an inherent troublemaking nature to him that can’t be repressed by the big Disney musical.
—Tim Grierson, Vulture, 7 Mar. 2026
Scottish actor John Hannah was Evelyn’s troublemaking brother Jonathan.
—Andrew Walsh, Entertainment Weekly, 9 Nov. 2025
Over the years, Greg has gotten into fights with his best friend Rowley and troublemaking brother Rodrick, he’s gone to summer camp and saved his school, even tried his hand (disastrously) at sports.
—Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 21 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for troublemaking
Adjective
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The home needed to display her naughty sense of humor too.—
Julie Vadnal,
Architectural Digest,
18 Mar. 2026
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These plays are often brilliant, and even lesser variants are fun to watch, because piñata-whacking itself is a naughty thrill, a cathartic fantasy for anyone with a family and/or a secret.—
Emily Nussbaum,
New Yorker,
12 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Now, think of that with gasoline — enough material for a master’s thesis in human misbehavior.—
Patt Morrison,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Mar. 2026
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One 16-year-old with no prior record was sentenced to 6-8 months at a youth ranch, while another with a history of misbehavior was given 2- to 4 years in a more secure facility.—
Julia Prodis Sulek,
Mercury News,
17 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Why must members of the public be disrespected by unruly, misbehaving, noisy children, who are then defended by adults who should know better?—
Judith Martin,
Mercury News,
1 Dec. 2025
Noun
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The costs of decades of misconduct by Chicago police have grown enormous as the city settles lawsuit after lawsuit using expensive private counsel to handle most of the work.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Mar. 2026
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And of course, Andrew being stripped of his titles and evicted from Royal Lodge, only to then be arrested for suspicion of misconduct in public office.—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
30 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Colleen in the service of good was wilier than the friends of secrecy and found a way to thwart their plan.—
Kevin Rennie,
Hartford Courant,
7 Mar. 2026
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And are a lot of us eager to see Sabalenka try to add a big trophy to the new hardware on her ring finger—against, perhaps, Gauff, who at her best can blunt Sabalenka’s nuclear groundstrokes with her steady perseverance and wily strategy?—
Corey Seymour,
Vogue,
6 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The La Costa Canyon High School Theatre Department invites the community to an evening of laughter, music, and medieval mischief with this year’s spring musical Monty Python’s Spamalot.—
News Release,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
28 Mar. 2026
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His old partner in mischief Charles Steinmuller floated somewhere between exciting and scary.—
Eric Boodman,
Vulture,
25 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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But considering these crafty medieval Norwegians were hunting minke whales, no wonder.—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
22 Mar. 2026
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The gray area that enables rich, crafty, people to register their supercars and hypercars to a shell LLC formed in Montana instead of themselves personally in their home state.—
Joel Feder,
The Drive,
19 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Mustard and vinegar provide the devilment for a flavorful bite, particularly when topped with a scattering of scallions and paprika.—
SAVEUR Editors,
Saveur,
5 Feb. 2025
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But even if truffles are beyond your pay grade, there is plenty of enjoyment to be had in the sheer devilment portrayed in this informative and appetizing book.—
Eugenia Bone,
WSJ,
10 July 2019
Cite this Entry
“Troublemaking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/troublemaking. Accessed 31 Mar. 2026.
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