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
Synonym Usage
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
Explanation
People who pull pranks, make jokes, and do things that annoy other people — but aren't really awful — are good at mischief. Mischief is a word for things that are a little bad or reckless but ultimately harmless. Hitting someone with a spitball is mischief. Hitting them with a rock is dangerous and therefore much worse than mischief. Making mischief can be fun, as long as it doesn't get out of hand. People who do a lot of mischief are called "mischievous."
Vocabulary lists containing mischief
"Mending Wall," by Robert Frost
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Lincoln Inaugural Address (March 1861)
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Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
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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.
"We have done all the mischief which is done by small kids. During that time he was always very calm," Gandhi said.
From Barron's ● Oct. 1, 2026
OK, let’s shift gears from midterm mischief to evening entertainment.
From Slate ● Sep. 24, 2026
"Frankly I'm not sure what the secretary of state was up to, mischief making? I don't know. But I think that question would be better posed to him."
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
There’s no more fitting description of a documentary that’s cobbled together from the dying gasps of ’90s fashion culture, when glamor and mischief reigned supreme.
From Salon ● Sep. 5, 2026
Teacher of strange ways is Love, that knavish boy, maker of mischief.
From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton
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.
