mischief
Americannoun
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conduct or activity that playfully causes petty annoyance.
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a tendency or disposition to tease, vex, or annoy.
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a vexatious or annoying action.
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harm or trouble, especially as a result of an agent or cause.
- Synonyms:
- hurt
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an injury or evil caused by a person or other agent or cause.
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a cause or source of harm, evil, or annoyance.
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the devil.
noun
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wayward but not malicious behaviour, usually of children, that causes trouble, irritation, etc
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a playful inclination to behave in this way or to tease or disturb
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injury or harm caused by a person or thing
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a person, esp a child, who is mischievous
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a source of trouble, difficulty, etc
floods are a great mischief to the farmer
Related Words
See damage.
Etymology
Origin of mischief
1250–1300; Middle English meschef < Old French, noun derivative of meschever to end badly, come to grief. See mis- 1, achieve
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.
Denning volunteers with East Pasadena Community Defense Corner, a group that runs patrols for ICE activity in the area, and hoped that Saturday’s demonstration would “create a little mischief” and increase awareness.
From Los Angeles Times
But the ability to order around AI agents with plain language makes it possible for even the technically non-proficient to do mischief.
From Barron's
Though Godard later came to be synonymous with turgid, obtuse cinema, “Nouvelle Vague” is the opposite: a sprightly, effervescent ode to moviemaking as semi-controlled mischief.
Neighboring Iran’s capacity for mischief looks severely weakened by Israeli-U.S. attacks this summer.
From Barron's
AI can scan, flag, and analyze at speeds humans cannot, but it still lacks context, nuance, and the human intuition necessary to differentiate between chips and guns, mischief and menace.
From Salon
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.
