mischievous

[ mis-chuh-vuhs ]

adjective

1. maliciously or playfully annoying.
2. causing annoyance, harm, or trouble.
3. roguishly or slyly teasing, as a glance.
4. harmful or injurious.

mischievous

/ ˈmɪstʃɪvəs /

adjective

1. inclined to acts of mischief
2. teasing; slightly malicious

   a mischievous grin

3. causing or intended to cause harm

   a mischievous plot

Pronunciation Note

The word mischievous has three syllables, mis-chie-vous, with the stress on the first syllable: [mis, -ch, uh, -v, uh, s]. There is a common tendency to shift the stress to the second syllable and say or write the word as if there were an extra letter i after the v, turning it into a four-syllable word: [mis-, chee, -vee-, uh, s]. These alterations of the pronunciation (and sometimes even the spelling) may occur in part because in many English words ie is pronounced like ee, as in chief, in part because many words end with [-ee-, uh, s], spelled either -ious (as in devious ) or -eous (as in aqueous ), and in part because of confusion over where the second i in the word belongs. The Oxford English Dictionary reports that for some time in the evolution of the word—from about the sixteenth to the eighteenth century— mischievious was actually a fairly standard alternative spelling. Today, however, both the four-syllable spelling and the four-syllable pronunciation are generally regarded as nonstandard.

Derived Forms

• ˈmischievousness, noun
• ˈmischievously, adverb

Other Words From

• mischie·vous·ly adverb
• mischie·vous·ness noun
• non·mischie·vous adjective
• non·mischie·vous·ly adverb
• non·mischie·vous·ness noun
• un·mischie·vous adjective
• un·mischie·vous·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of mischievous¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English mischevous, from Anglo-French meschevous; equivalent to mischief + -ous

Example Sentences

Labubu, her legion of fans will tell you, is female, the size of a cat and a tad mischievous.

From Los Angeles Times

The animal was "very funny and quite mischievous," she added, but ultimately "thought he was one of them".

From BBC

"I am deeply concerned over the recent disruptive acts targeting Indian airlines, affecting domestic and international operations. Such mischievous and unlawful actions are a matter of grave concern. I condemn attempts to compromise safety, security and operational integrity of our aviation sector," federal aviation minister, Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu, said.

From BBC

“You get the little bits of what Beckett was trying to say about what existence wants to be, what belief in God wants to be, but doing it in a way that is mischievous.”

From Los Angeles Times

While Noni was the brave and mischievous one, Tule was always following in her pawsteps, he added.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• impish
• malicious
• naughty
• playful
• rude
• sly