1
as in wicked
tending to or exhibiting reckless playfulness
the children had been so mischievous that we had to pay the babysitter extra and then clean up the mess
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in naughty
engaging in or marked by childish misbehavior
punished for their mischievous tricks on the neighbors
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in dangerous
causing or capable of causing harm
mischievous gossip that ruined a good teacher's reputation
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of mischievous
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer Based on author Mark Twain's own childhood in Hannibal, Missouri, this book follows the escapades of a boy with an adventurous, and often mischievous, spirit growing up along the Mississippi River.
—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
25 June 2026
France’s Annecy International Animation Film Festival gets underway this weekend with Illumination’s Minions & Monsters, the latest movie devoted to the mischievous army of yellow underlings first introduced in 2010 breakout Despicable Me.
—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
19 June 2026
Labubu dolls come in many colors, have furry bodies, rabbitlike ears, and vinyl faces, and are known for their mischievous nine-toothed grin.
—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
17 June 2026
The new set will let builders assemble the mischievous supernatural messenger and his watchful bird companion.
—
Jazz Tangcay,
Variety,
15 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for mischievous
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
25 June 2026
France’s Annecy International Animation Film Festival gets underway this weekend with Illumination’s Minions & Monsters, the latest movie devoted to the mischievous army of yellow underlings first introduced in 2010 breakout Despicable Me.
—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
19 June 2026
Labubu dolls come in many colors, have furry bodies, rabbitlike ears, and vinyl faces, and are known for their mischievous nine-toothed grin.
—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
17 June 2026
The new set will let builders assemble the mischievous supernatural messenger and his watchful bird companion.
—
Jazz Tangcay,
Variety,
15 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for mischievous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mischievous
Adjective
-
Yamal was a thorn in Saudi Arabia’s side, drifting infield to unleash shots from distance but also peppering the penalty area with wicked deliveries from the right flank.
-
Has Sugar’s inherent decency become something of a moral palate cleanser for Oz’s wicked ways?
Adjective
-
Has Greta eaten or chewed on anything naughty?
-
The play was naughty stuff in 1925, when the show, starring Tallulah Bankhead, got banned.
Adjective
-
Others develop dangerous fluctuations in blood pressure and abnormal heart rhythms because the autonomic nervous system becomes affected.
-
Sometimes, the streets appear glittering; other times, seedy and dangerous.
Adjective
-
The high-quality dress can be worn all summer long, in playful hues like white and green.
-
Beaded sandals, in particular, strike a balance between statement-making and approachable, offering the same playful energy as the season’s beaded jewelry and bags without requiring a complete wardrobe overhaul.
Adjective
-
That if you were deemed, as an enslaved person, if you were deemed troublesome or in some way unwanted, you would literally be sold down the river from the more northern states to the deeper south where you would potentially be treated even worse.
-
Offer Real Value, Not Leftovers Most product bundles fail not because the idea is bad but because the execution misses what consumers actually want.
Adjective
-
The plasma process also produced very little smoke or tar, reducing harmful secondary pollutants typically associated with biomass conversion and making the technology a cleaner way to produce renewable solid fuel.
-
At the same time, its flowers attract beneficial predatory insects, such as ladybugs and parasitic wasps, that naturally hunt harmful garden pests.
Adjective
-
Two years ago, the Man City phenom appeared in a 90-second spot for the game that saw him get recruited to storm a castle teeming with goblins, dragons and impish skeletons.
-
Her new album, Fata Morgana, uses an array of cascading rhythms, impish hooks, and fierce poetry to interrogate her place in a corrupt American society.
Adjective
-
In pharmacogenomics, understanding how genes affect drug efficacy helps doctors prescribe the right drug at the optimal dose while reducing adverse reactions.
-
Johnson was undone by revelations of his conduct during Covid lockdowns and Truss by the adverse market reaction to her 2022 mini-Budget.
Video
'Mispronunciations' That May Be Fine
'Mischievous,' 'nuclear,' and other words to pronounce with caution.
Cite this Entry
“Mischievous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mischievous. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
