mischief

noun

mis·​chief ˈmis-chəf 

ˈmish-

1

: a specific injury or damage attributed to a particular agent

the polished floor … often causes mischiefs—bruises, sprains, dislocations

—Herbert Spencer

2

: a cause or source of harm, evil, or irritation

especially : a person who causes mischief

He's a real mischief to his family.

3

a

: action that annoys or irritates

Halloween mischiefs

b

: the quality or state of being mischievous : mischievousness

had mischief in his eyes

Synonyms

• devilishness
• devilment
• devilry
• deviltry
• diablerie
• espièglerie
• hob
• impishness
• knavery
• mischievousness
• rascality
• roguery
• roguishness
• shenanigan(s)
• waggery
• waggishness
• wickedness

Examples of mischief in a Sentence

It's hard to keep him out of mischief.

the children claimed that setting off a firecracker was harmless mischief, but they got a lecture anyway

Recent Examples on the Web

Dwayne Johnson is sharing his younger daughters' adorable reaction to their Elf on the Shelf's latest mischief. —Emma Aerin Becker, People.com, 20 Dec. 2024

Bart’s mischief was less likely to register as an influence on kids as the show around him became more unmoored from reality. —Darryn King, Vulture, 17 Dec. 2024

Expect Homer to fumble more than just his nachos, Bart to cause some on-field mischief, and Lisa to deliver her brilliant insights—all against the backdrop of Monday night's football action. —Paul Du Quenoy, Newsweek, 9 Dec. 2024

When coupled with ByteDance’s links to the Chinese government, TikTok’s potential for misuse or mischief is alarming. —Dewardric L. McNeal, CNBC, 5 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English meschief, from Anglo-French, misfortune, hardship, from Old French meschever to come out badly, mes- + chief head, end — more at chief

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing mischief

• malicious mischief

Kids Definition

mischief

noun

mis·​chief ˈmis-chəf 

ˈmish-

1

: injury sense 2, harm

2

: a person or animal who causes mischief

3

: mischievous conduct or quality

a child gets into mischief

had mischief in their eyes