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 show is gloriously nonsensical: a vague excuse to watch a revolving door of spotlight-hungry pussycats prancing their paws to Webber’s waggish earworms.
—
Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 8 Apr. 2026
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
Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 8 Apr. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for waggish
Adjective
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Roy interjected with the mischievous smirk typical of a younger brother trying to ruffle some feathers.—
Carlos Aguilar,
Los Angeles Times,
15 June 2026
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The new set will let builders assemble the mischievous supernatural messenger and his watchful bird companion.—
Jazz Tangcay,
Variety,
15 June 2026
Adjective
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Spark, who was born in 1918 and died in 2006, had a talent for writing wicked little books that defy easy categorization; her coming-of-age stories feel like horror stories, her horror stories feel like love stories, and her love stories feel like acid satire.—
Rachel Syme,
New Yorker,
10 June 2026
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But after Sophie’s father dies, she’s forced to become a maid herself by her wicked stepmother and stepsisters.—
Jennifer Maas,
Variety,
10 June 2026
Adjective
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The Rabbit Hole is more playful, with its games room, pool table, ping pong and private bar, seemingly designed for long nights and bad decisions.—
Arion McNicoll,
TheWeek,
15 June 2026
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The result was a sleek white ruffled top, when worn with matching trousers felt both modern and refreshing while another floral skirt embodied a playful feminine energy that personified warm weather dressing.—
Diana Tsui,
Footwear News,
15 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Waggish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/waggish. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
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