mischievous
adjective
Mischievous vs. Mischievious: Usage Guide
A pronunciation \mis-ˈchē-vē-əs\ and a consequent spelling mischievious are of long standing: evidence for the spelling goes back to the 16th century. Our pronunciation files contain modern attestations ranging from dialect speakers to Herbert Hoover. But both the pronunciation and the spelling are still considered nonstandard.
Synonyms
Examples of mischievous in a Sentence
Matt Ridley, Genome, 1999
… Pedro Martinez, could be found in the dugout, usually wearing sneakers instead of spikes, his tongue flying about as fiercely as one of his mischievous fastballs.
—Tom Verducci, Sports Illustrated, 11 Oct. 1999
Setsu grew, too, from a mischievous, laughing little girl into a gay, willful, pretty girl.
—Pearl S. Buck, The Big Wave, 1947
the children had been so mischievous that we had to pay the babysitter extra and then clean up the mess
punished for their mischievous tricks on the neighbors
Peter Debruge, Variety, 5 Dec. 2023
Pilkey’s comic book universe of mischievous children, talking toilets, villainous cats, zombie lunch ladies, potty humor and the aforementioned cop with a dog’s head sewn onto his body is as ubiquitous as peanut butter and jelly to many families.
—Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times, 28 Nov. 2023
There’s also an emphasis on celebration in the production, which begins with a birthday party and asks the audience to sing along with the mischievous peddler Autolycus.
—Thomas Floyd, Washington Post, 14 Nov. 2023
Families who have an Elf on the Shelf join the household come the holiday season already know just how important the mischievous elf is to kids and parents alike.
—Kaitlyn McInnis, Forbes, 28 Nov. 2023
With Charlie having two separate dinners on his plate, the core drama of the episode comes from a mischievous Snoopy (Bill Melendez), who conjures up a nontraditional menu consisting of toast, popcorn and jelly beans (then secretly saves the turkey for himself and Woodstock).
—Shay Spence, Peoplemag, 22 Nov. 2023
Behind the lenses of her signature glasses, there was no mischievous twinkle in her eyes whatsoever.
—Chris Richards, Washington Post, 19 Nov. 2023
Privett is fifty-four, with a friendly, relaxed, slightly mischievous vibe.
—Rivka Galchen, The New Yorker, 6 Nov. 2023
Olivia Munn Shares Hilarious Moment Son Destroys Birthday Cake for Partner John Mulaney
The Love Wedding Repeat star shared another adorably mischievous moment in August involving her son.
—Erin Clack, Peoplemag, 21 Oct. 2023
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'mischievous.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Video
'Mispronunciations' That May Be Fine
'Mischievous,' 'nuclear,' and other words to pronounce with caution.
Dictionary Entries Near mischievous
Cite this Entry
“Mischievous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mischievous. Accessed 9 Jan. 2024.
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Kids Definition
mischievous
adjective
ˈmish-
More from Merriam-Webster on mischievous
Nglish: Translation of mischievous for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of mischievous for Arabic Speakers
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