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

For families with mischievous kids, another unit with a more robust child lock, like the Samsung or GE models, would be better. —Meg St-Esprit, Bon Appétit, 18 Mar. 2025

But Kerrygold, the cheese brand, believes that according to Irish folklore, that little pocket was meant to hold cheese and ward off mischievous fairies. —Jean E. Palmieri, WWD, 17 Mar. 2025

While her owner was busy doing some spring cleaning in the yard, Ruthie the dog showed off her mischievous side. —Mark Davis, Newsweek, 15 Mar. 2025

In just a matter of days, the TikTok video has amassed over 50 comments as many lauded Kevin's mischievous behavior. —Faisal Kutty, Newsweek, 12 Mar. 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