prankster

[prangk-ster]

noun

1. a mischievous or malicious person who plays tricks, practical jokes, etc., at the expense of another.

prankster

/ ˈpræŋkstə /

noun

1. a practical joker

Word History and Origins

Origin of prankster¹

An Americanism dating back to 1925–30; prank ¹ + -ster

Example Sentences

Since most callers don’t expect an answer, they gasp when a visitor actually picks up, many quickly hanging up like teenage telephone pranksters.

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One particularly despairing prankster appealing for penalty-taking to be made part of the English National Curriculum in place of maths lessons, after England were defeated at a major tournament.

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The portrait was reportedly commissioned to fill an empty space that had briefly been filled with an image of Vladimir Putin by a prankster.

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That group of prankster historians called itself E Clampus Vitus, a kind of bogus Latin.

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But like generations of pilgrims, dropouts, and merry pranksters before him, what he discovered on that journey was his mission.

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Related Words

• prank 
• rascal 
• rogue