mischievous

adjective

mis·​chie·​vous ˈmis-chə-vəs 

ˈmish-;

nonstandard

mis-ˈchē-vē-əs 

mish-

1

: harmful, injurious

mischievous gossip

2

a

: able or tending to cause annoyance, trouble, or minor injury

b

: irresponsibly playful

mischievous behavior

mischievously adverb

mischievousness noun

Mischievous vs. Mischievious: Usage Guide

A pronunciation \mis-ˈchē-vē-əs\ and a consequent spelling mischievious are of long standing: evidence for the spelling goes back to the 16th century. Our pronunciation files contain modern attestations ranging from dialect speakers to Herbert Hoover. But both the pronunciation and the spelling are still considered nonstandard.

Synonyms

• arch
• devilish
• elvish
• espiègle
• impish
• knavish
• leprechaunish
• pixie
• pixy
• pixieish
• prankish
• puckish
• rascally
• roguish
• scampish
• sly
• tricksy
• waggish
• wicked

Examples of mischievous in a Sentence

In passing the test of killing itself if infected, cancerous or genetically mischievous, a cell by definition dies. —Matt Ridley, Genome, 1999

… Pedro Martinez, could be found in the dugout, usually wearing sneakers instead of spikes, his tongue flying about as fiercely as one of his mischievous fastballs. —Tom Verducci, Sports Illustrated, 11 Oct. 1999

Setsu grew, too, from a mischievous, laughing little girl into a gay, willful, pretty girl. —Pearl S. Buck, The Big Wave, 1947

the children had been so mischievous that we had to pay the babysitter extra and then clean up the mess

punished for their mischievous tricks on the neighbors

Recent Examples on the Web

The sophisticated audiences of 2025 require a little more grit, more mischievous fun. —Rachel Elspeth Gross, Forbes.com, 28 June 2025

Zada lives up to the mischievous troublemaker in Lockhart’s book. —Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 19 June 2025

Some of the highlights of his short period in the first team include a debut goal against City, accompanied by a mischievous celebration, excelling in both legs of the Champions League knock-out against Real Madrid (who have cast an interested eye on his ability), and earning an England start. —James McNicholas, New York Times, 18 June 2025

The clip's charm lies in its relatability—dogs behaving like mischievous toddlers caught in the act. —Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

see mischief

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Video

'Mispronunciations' That May Be Fine

'Mischievous,' 'nuclear,' and other words to pronounce with caution.

Kids Definition

mischievous

adjective

mis·​chie·​vous ˈmis-chə-vəs  ˈmish- 

1

: harming or intended to do harm

mischievous gossip

2

: causing or tending to cause minor injury or annoyance

a mischievous puppy

3

: showing a spirit of mischief

mischievous behavior

mischievously adverb

mischievousness noun