Mischievous
'mɪstʃɪvəs
Definitions
Causing or intended to cause trouble or harm in a playful way; playfully annoying.
'mɪstʃɪvəs
Causing or showing a fondness for causing trouble in a playful way.
The mischievous puppy chewed up the newspaper.
💡 Simply: Imagine a kid who loves to play pranks and make people laugh by causing a little bit of trouble, like hiding your shoes or putting salt in the sugar bowl. That's mischievous!
👶 For kids: Doing things that are a little bit naughty but in a fun way, like making silly faces or hiding things.
More Examples
The children's mischievous behavior kept the babysitter on her toes.
He had a mischievous grin on his face as he planned his prank.
How It's Used
"The mischievous toddler pulled the cat's tail."
"The mischievous imp delighted in playing tricks on the unsuspecting villagers."
Idioms & expressions
mischief night
The night before Halloween (October 30th) when children play pranks.
"The kids were excited for mischief night, planning to TP the neighbor's house."
up to mischief
Behaving in a naughty or troublesome way.
"I knew the children were up to mischief when they started giggling in the corner."
From Middle English *mischievous*, from *mischief* + *-ous*. *Mischief* ultimately derives from Old French *meschief* meaning 'misfortune, harm'.
The word has been used in literature since the late 14th century, often to describe the actions of children, animals, or supernatural beings.
Memory tip
Think of a playful imp or a child getting into harmless trouble.
Word Origin
"Causing harm or trouble (playfully)"