as in mischievous
tending to or exhibiting reckless playfulness
a waggish disposition that often got him into trouble as a child
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Recent Examples of waggish
The waggish jeer that subverts the Reich Chancellery, designed by Adolf Hitler's chief architect, Albert Speer, must have sent the woman who chastises children for flatulent folly into a tizzy.
—
Natasha Gural, Forbes, 12 Jan. 2025
After publishing a New York Times piece about grieving her late husband, the waggish writer received an email from a kindly old acquaintance who was also recently widowed.
—Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY, 24 Oct. 2024
He’s left a distinctive stamp on the orchestra’s sound in the years since, whether declaiming the beginning of Mahler 5 with a preacher’s conviction or, as in a recent Ravinia concert, tossing off a ragtime solo with waggish virtuosity.
—Hannah Edgar, Chicago Tribune, 5 Aug. 2024
Foreman’s own work was waggish, so the Off Off Broadway Wooster production is frequently tongue-in-cheek.
—Helen Shaw, The New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2024
Trendy, vapid Chazelle sentimentalized a token Mexican immigrant in Babylon, but Jordan and waggish co-screenwriter William Monahan, who scripted Scorsese’s The Departed, plays with ethnicity (those Irish mugs, Lange’s perfect brogue, and Cumming’s perfect Southern twang).
—Armond White, National Review, 17 Feb. 2023
Natasha Gural, Forbes, 12 Jan. 2025
After publishing a New York Times piece about grieving her late husband, the waggish writer received an email from a kindly old acquaintance who was also recently widowed.
—Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY, 24 Oct. 2024
He’s left a distinctive stamp on the orchestra’s sound in the years since, whether declaiming the beginning of Mahler 5 with a preacher’s conviction or, as in a recent Ravinia concert, tossing off a ragtime solo with waggish virtuosity.
—Hannah Edgar, Chicago Tribune, 5 Aug. 2024
Foreman’s own work was waggish, so the Off Off Broadway Wooster production is frequently tongue-in-cheek.
—Helen Shaw, The New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2024
Trendy, vapid Chazelle sentimentalized a token Mexican immigrant in Babylon, but Jordan and waggish co-screenwriter William Monahan, who scripted Scorsese’s The Departed, plays with ethnicity (those Irish mugs, Lange’s perfect brogue, and Cumming’s perfect Southern twang).
—Armond White, National Review, 17 Feb. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for waggish
Adjective
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Fierce in expression but controlled in form, the 1959 LP draws out a rootsy warmth from beneath the bebop that had consumed bandstands since World War II, forging a sound that feels at once confrontational, mischievous, and generous.—
Daniel Felsenthal,
Pitchfork,
4 Apr. 2026
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And then, a massive, mischievous grin.—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
2 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Exceptionally well-written with equal parts spice, vinegar, wicked wit, and wonder how Charlie and Emma can possibly survive this unexpected turn in their lives after one simple question and one complicated answer threatens to blow everything up.—
Pete Hammond,
Deadline,
31 Mar. 2026
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With stunning action set pieces, a delightfully wicked villain (Javier Bardem), and a surprisingly emotional through-line featuring M (Judi Dench), Skyfall resonated for casual moviegoers as much as diehard Bond devotees.—
Kevin Jacobsen,
Entertainment Weekly,
31 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The playful conductor will explain you are headed to La Rojeña, the oldest distillery in Latin America, in the town of Tequila, in the state of Jalisco, and where Jose Cuervo is still produced.—
Madeleine Marr,
Miami Herald,
7 Apr. 2026
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Home and family are your main focus; nevertheless, romance and playful diversions also appeal to you.—
Georgia Nicols,
Denver Post,
6 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Waggish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/waggish. Accessed 9 Apr. 2026.
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