mischievous
adjective
mis·chie·vous
ˈmis-chə-vəs 
ˈmish-;
nonstandard
mis-ˈchē-vē-əs
mish-
2
a
: able or tending to cause annoyance, trouble, or minor injury
b
: irresponsibly playful
mischievous behavior
mischievously
adverb
mischievousness
noun
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.
Examples of mischievous in a Sentence
In passing the test of killing itself if infected, cancerous or genetically mischievous, a cell by definition dies.
—
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
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
Recent Examples on the Web
Lois, no longer a promiscuous drag king, remains mischievous and irrepressible, even while getting pilloried on Fox News for leading a school workshop on gender identity.
—Charlie Tyson, New Yorker, 4 June 2025
Each day in the world of Phineas and Ferb is filled with a fantastical invention or creation—and their big sister Candace (Ashley Tisdale) is still perpetually annoyed by their mischievous antics, and on a mission to expose their exploits to their mom, Linda Flynn-Fletcher.
—Lynnette Nicholas, Parents, 28 May 2025
Things are about to get fast, fun and maybe even a little mischievous.
—Valerie Mesa, People.com, 25 May 2025
Plus this mischievous creature had a lot of eccentric friends.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 24 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for mischievous
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Charlie Tyson, New Yorker, 4 June 2025
Each day in the world of Phineas and Ferb is filled with a fantastical invention or creation—and their big sister Candace (Ashley Tisdale) is still perpetually annoyed by their mischievous antics, and on a mission to expose their exploits to their mom, Linda Flynn-Fletcher.
—Lynnette Nicholas, Parents, 28 May 2025
Things are about to get fast, fun and maybe even a little mischievous.
—Valerie Mesa, People.com, 25 May 2025
Plus this mischievous creature had a lot of eccentric friends.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 24 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for mischievous
Video
'Mispronunciations' That May Be Fine
'Mischievous,' 'nuclear,' and other words to pronounce with caution.
Cite this Entry
“Mischievous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mischievous. Accessed 7 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
mischievous
adjective
mis·chie·vous
ˈmis-chə-vəs
ˈmish-
ˈmish-
1
: harming or intended to do harm
mischievous gossip
2
: causing or tending to cause minor injury or annoyance
a mischievous puppy
3
: showing a spirit of mischief
mischievous behavior
mischievously
adverb
mischievousness
noun
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
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