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Synonyms

impish

American  
[im-pish] / ˈɪm pɪʃ /

adjective

  1. mischievous.

  2. of, relating to, or characteristic of an imp.

impish British  
/ ˈɪmpɪʃ /

adjective

  1. of or resembling an imp; mischievous

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • impishly adverb
  • impishness noun

Etymology

Origin of impish

First recorded in 1645–55; imp + -ish 1

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The impish English historian hosts a two-part series on the revolution and her own nation’s blunders during the conflict.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 2, 2026

As attention spans keep getting whittled down, intellectually impish Romanian satirist Radu Jude continues to go longer and longer, his latest act of cinematic disobedience the nearly three-hour mythbuster “Dracula.”

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 31, 2025

But the Rodgers and Hammerstein works stirred the soul in a way the more impish Rodgers and Hart shows couldn’t, and they remain cornerstones of the musical theater.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 16, 2025

Manuel chips in enthusiastically with an impish grin, saying that the new systems that he too firmly believes will emerge will be the "next stage in humanity's evolution".

From BBC • May 25, 2025

Koffi gave him an impish grin as she shook one of the boughs and sent more of the tree’s fruit to the ground.

From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.