Agency Dictionary

Mischievous

adjectivePronunciation: /ˈmɪs.tʃɪ.vəs/

In Portuguese: Maroto

What does “Mischievous” mean?

Showing a playful desire to cause trouble, teasing, or lighthearted harmless rebellion.

Etymology

From Anglo-Norman meschevous and Old French meschevous, derived from meschever (to come to a bad end, to bring misfortune), built from mes- (badly, wrongly, related to English mis-) and chever (to reach an end or head), from chef (head). The word entered Middle English in the 14th to 15th centuries. The modern sense of playful naughtiness is a softening of the older sense of harmful trouble-making.

Usage note

Mischievous is frequently mispronounced and misspelled as 'mischievious', with an extra syllable. The correct form has three syllables: MIS-chie-vous.

Synonyms

naughty
impish
roguish
playful
waggish

Word family

mischief
mischievously
mischievousness

Usage examples

As I saw the projectile shattering into pieces, I couldn’t tell what could have possibly happened for me to get hit by a piece of chalk in the teeth until I saw Pietro at the very back of the room with the mischievous smile that he always made when he was up to something.

Concepts

Source editions

Where this entry comes from in the Agency editorial.

Creative.5 - Pietro VeronaMay 24, 2023Read the edition

Words of the same theme

Mazenoun: A complex network of interconnected paths, passages, or obstacles designed to puzzle and challenge navigation.
Synchronicitynoun: The simultaneous occurrence of events that appear meaningfully related yet lack a direct causal connection.
Resiliencenoun: The capacity to withstand or recover quickly from difficulties, tough conditions, or shock.
Stigmanoun: A mark of social disgrace, shame, or prejudice associated with a particular circumstance, trait, or behavior.
clevernessnoun: The mental quality of being quick-witted, agile, and ingenious in solving specific situational problems.
collective consciousnessnoun: The set of beliefs, ideas and feelings shared by the members of a society, which exists beyond any single person. By extension, what a community knows and repeats in common.
Abyssnoun: A deep or seemingly bottomless chasm, either in physical geography or metaphorical psychological depth. It evokes feelings of unfathomable emptiness or existential peril.
Adversitynoun: A state of severe hardship, difficulty, or misfortune that tests resilience and moral endurance.
Affectnoun: An expressed or experienced emotion, feeling, or visceral response to a stimulus in psychology and philosophy.
Anesthetizeverb: To administer an anesthetic to eliminate physical feeling, or figuratively to numb emotional or critical awareness.
anesthetizedadjective: Deprived of physical sensation or feeling, often used figuratively to describe dullness or emotional apathy.

Also from these editions: terms

vocationnoun: A strong innate inclination or sense of purpose toward a particular career, craft, or calling.
Bachelornoun: An undergraduate academic degree awarded by universities upon completion of a collegiate course of study.
Extensionnoun: An educational program or institutional initiative that extends university resources, research, and expertise to the broader community.
Frenzynoun: A state of wild excitement, intense emotional agitation, or uncontrolled, energetic activity.
Inquisitiveadjective: Eager for knowledge, curious, and given to systematic investigation and inquiry.
Portfolionoun: A curated collection of creative work, technical projects, or artistic samples assembled to showcase a designer's competence.
Projectilenoun: An object thrown, fired, or propelled through the air by external force.
Prototypenoun: An early preliminary model of a product from which subsequent forms and manufactured copies are developed and refined.
Relentlessadjective: Oppressively constant, unyielding, and refusing to abate in intensity, pace, or determination.
Settlementnoun: A small community or newly established village formed by migrating individuals settling in an area.