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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Like tapping into that mischievous kid in me.—
Louis Peitzman,
Vulture,
18 May 2026
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There on the screen, staring back at me, are two gigantic black eyes and a mischievous smile stitched on a massive, crocheted head — features of the mysterious, endlessly cheeky mask that has become Chuyin’s signature.—
Julyssa Lopez,
Rolling Stone,
17 May 2026
Adjective
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As Thompson reveals, Lean grew up Quaker and was forbidden from seeing movies, which were considered wicked.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
12 May 2026
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Go enjoy a wicked musical from before America lost so much of its sense of humor.—
Chris Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
11 May 2026
Adjective
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Enjoy romance, fun outings and playful times with kids.—
Georgia Nicols,
Denver Post,
18 May 2026
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Lagasse wants Emeril’s to make the case that New Orleans cuisine can be playful, regional, historically grounded and technically elite all at once.—
Noel Burgess,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Waggish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/waggish. Accessed 19 May. 2026.
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