English Explanatory Dictionary

mischief

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. Conduct that playfully causes petty annoyance.
  2. A playfully annoying action.
  3. A group or a pack of rats.
  4. Harm or injury:
  5. Harm or trouble caused by an agent or brought about by a particular cause.
  6. An injury or an instance of harm or trouble caused by a person or other agent or cause.
  7. A criminal offence defined in various ways in various jurisdictions, sometimes including causing damage to another's property.
  8. A cause or agent of annoyance, harm or injury, especially a person who causes mischief.
  9. The Devil; used as an expletive.
  10. Casual and/or flirtatious sexual acts.
verb
  1. To do a mischief to; to harm.
  2. To slander.

Pronunciation

/ˈmɪsˌt͡ʃiːf/ [ˈmɪsˌt͡ʃʰɪi̯f] /ˈmɪs.t͡ʃɪf/ [ˈmɪs.t͡ʃʰɪf] en-us-mischief.ogg LL-Q1860 (eng)-Simplificationalizer-mischief.wav

Word forms

mischief mischiefs mischiefing mischiefed mischieve

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”).

Synonyms

agitation annoyance corruption damage demolition destruction detriment disablement disruption evil harm hurt ill impairment incapacitation injury nuisance pique ravage sabotage scathe trouble undoing unmaking vexation weakening wrong badness delinquincy devilishness devilment devilry deviltry elfishness goings-on hanky-panky impishness impropriety knavery misbehavior mischief mischievousness misconduct misdemeanor monkey business naughtiness prankishness pranksomeness puckishness rascality roguery roguishness scampishness delinquency atrociousness awfulness corruptness criminality dacoity depravity

Antonyms

decorum gentlemanliness gentility seemliness sportsmanship probity propriety

Related words

troublemaker evil do evil

Derived words

do oneself a mischief malicious mischief mischiefful mischiefless mischief-maker mischiefmaking mischief rule mischievous mischievously mischievousness play the mischief with
This entry uses open data from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA/GFDL). Word forms are used for search and are not indexed as separate pages.
Back to search All on M Russian dictionary Dahl dictionary