Word
mischief
Phoneticsmis·chief
US/ˈmɪstʃəf/
UK/mˈɪstʃɪf/
Definitions
01playful trouble
n. behavior that is slightly bad but usually intended to be funny or playful rather than harmful.
n. conduct that playfully causes petty annoyance or minor trouble without malicious intent.
“The children were very quiet, which usually meant they were up to some mischief.”
“The puppy's eyes were full of mischief as he grabbed the slipper and bolted across the lawn.”
Humorous
Synonyms
Antonyms
02legal property damage
n. the crime of damaging someone else's property on purpose.
n. a criminal offence involving the intentional or reckless destruction of or damage to another's property.
“He was charged with criminal mischief after breaking the shop window.”
“The defendant faced multiple counts of public mischief following the coordinated graffiti attacks on the municipal buildings.”
Technical
03harm or injury
n. serious harm or damage caused by something.
n. harm, injury, or damage resulting from a specific cause or agent.
“The new law was designed to prevent the mischief caused by unregulated lending.”
“The judge sought to interpret the statute in a way that would suppress the mischief and advance the remedy intended by parliament.”
Literary · Formal
Antonyms
04a group of rats
n. the special name for a group of rats.
n. the collective noun for a group or pack of rats.
“A mischief of rats lived under the old wooden floorboards of the barn.”
“The researcher observed how the mischief of rats interacted when a new food source was introduced to the enclosure.”
Technical
Real-World Examples
“In many of the pictures you can feel the shared mischief, a “yes we’re serious about our ideas” but also a “look, we’re getting away with it!” delight.” Etymology
From Middle English myschef, meschef, meschief, mischef, from Old French meschief, from meschever (“to bring to grief”), from mes- (“badly”) + chever (“happen; come to a head”), from Vulgar Latin *capare, from Latin caput (“head”).
From Middle English myschefen, myscheven, from Old French meschever.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
Idioms
play the mischief with — Synonym of play the devil with.