mischievous

American  

[mis-chuh-vuhs] / ˈmɪs tʃə vəs /

adjective

1. maliciously or playfully annoying.

2. causing annoyance, harm, or trouble.

3. roguishly or slyly teasing, as a glance.

4. harmful or injurious.

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mischievous British  

/ 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

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Pronunciation

The word mischievous has three syllables, mis-chie-vous, with the stress on the first syllable: . 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: . 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 , 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.

Other Word Forms

• mischievously adverb
• mischievousness noun
• nonmischievous adjective
• nonmischievously adverb
• nonmischievousness noun
• unmischievous adjective
• unmischievously adverb

Etymology

Origin of mischievous

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

Example Sentences

He pinned down fronds with his fingers, removed his straw farm hat, and fanned himself absently with its wide brim, that mischievous smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

From Literature

Serious, sober—but watch her eyes for a mischievous sparkle.

From Literature

"Creating the mischievous and lovable character of Crumble has been a delight and I cannot wait to bring the rest of Crumble's world to life," Snowdon said.

From BBC

Four-time Grand Slam champion Sabalenka showed flashes of the emotion she demonstrates in competitive matches, bearing a mischievous grin when she won points.

From BBC

Witty and mischievous, a punster and provocateur, Man Ray excelled as a photographer, filmmaker and object-maker.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

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