thievish
Americanadjective
-
given to thieving.
-
of, relating to, or characteristic of a thief; stealthy.
a furtive, thievish look.
Usage
What does thievish mean? Thievish is used to describe a person who is thought to be prone to being a thief, especially as part of a pattern of behavior. The verb thieve means to steal or commit theft. The word thieving can be used to mean the same thing as thievish. The related noun thievery refers to the practice of stealing. The word thievish can be applied to those who are thought to steal all the time or to live a criminal lifestyle. The word thieving is more commonly used this way, and is often paired with other negative adjectives to describe someone as a dishonest and corrupt criminal, as in They are nothing but a bunch of lying, scheming, thieving criminals!Thievish can also be used to describe someone as behaving in a way that’s like a thief in terms of being secretive or stealthy. Example: He and his thievish accomplishes will soon be caught red-handed during one of their heists.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of thievish
Vocabulary lists containing thievish
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.
As his friends and rivals well knew, he was a thievish genius.
From The Guardian ● May 7, 2010
In the dark, his thievish eyes glow with unshed 419 tears.
From The New Yorker ● Dec. 28, 2009
On the other hand there are also some of the most false, lying, thievish rascals, the like of which I could not have believed lived on earth.
From Time Magazine Archive
Mean, thievish, cowardly in disposition, they always fled from an encounter with a human creature, except when frenzied with hunger, and gathered in large packs.
From The Frontiersmen by Aimard, Gustave
Yet, early though it was, though the stars had not yet all fled from the west, sea-fowl were gracefully circling round—the gull, the tern, and the thievish skua.
From In the Land of the Great Snow Bear A Tale of Love and Heroism by Stables, Gordon
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.
