mischievous

[mis-chuh-vuhs]

adjective

1. maliciously or playfully annoying.

2. causing annoyance, harm, or trouble.

3. roguishly or slyly teasing, as a glance.

4. harmful or injurious.

mischievous

/ 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

Pronunciation Note

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

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of mischievous¹

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

Example Sentences

He would look at me, and I would be so taken by his fun, mischievous, unpredictability.

From Los Angeles Times

The light, as much as it exists in this series, shines through Hahn’s sensitive work as Dominick’s ex-wife Dessa and the welcome breath of comedy Rob Huebel lends to Leo, Dominick’s mischievous best friend.

From Salon

But this isn’t a dirge — it’s a fight song and a taunt, and it sets the tone of comfortable, mischievous defiance that threads through the entire album.

From Salon

Swimming past, they seem to look at you with a mischievous smile.

From BBC

Deutch often brings a mischievous playfulness to her performances, a knowing sense that she gets it, regardless of the genre or situation.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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