mischief
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈmɪst͡ʃiːf/
ipa: /ˈmɪst͡ʃɪf/
ipa: /ˈmɪst͡ʃɪf/
note: Indic
ipa: /mɪs.tʃif/
rhymes: -ɪstʃɪf
rhymes: -ɪstʃiːf
Forms: form: mischiefs
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”).
Senses: examples: text: Drink led to mischief.
synonyms: word: delinquency
word: naughtiness
word: roguery
word: scampishness
word: atrociousness
word: awfulness
word: badness
word: corruption
word: corruptness
word: criminality
word: dacoity
word: depravity
word: enormity
word: evil
word: evilness
word: immorality
word: knavery
word: nefariousness
word: rascality
word: savagery
word: scoundrelry
word: scumminess
word: turpitude
word: vileness
word: villainhood
word: villainousness
word: villainry
word: villainy
word: wickedness
glosses: Conduct that playfully causes petty annoyance.
examples: text: John's mischief, tying his shoelaces together, irked George at first.
glosses: A playfully annoying action.
examples: text: Kirac, the leader of the rats under his charge, speaks to the major through his telepathic abilities that manifested after the alien virus infected him and his mischief of rats.
ref: 2014, G. W. Rennie, The Rat Chronicles, iUniverse, →ISBN, page 21:
text: A group of rats is not a herd or a gaggle, but a pack or a mischief of rats. Rats in general are omnivorous, meaning they will eat almost anything.
ref: 2015, Rachel Smith, John Davidson, Rats For Kids, Mendon Cottage Books, →ISBN, page 6:
glosses: A group or a pack of rats.
examples: text: She had mischief in her heart.
text: Sooner or later he'll succeed in doing some serious mischief.
text: Was I the Cauſe of Miſchief, or the Man / Whoſe lawlesſ Luſt the bloody War began?
ref: 1697, Virgil, “The Tenth Book of the Æneis”, in John Dryden, transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC, page 502, lines 139–140:
text: I have been tired in history with the perpetual folly of those states, who call in foreigners to assist them against a common enemy: but the mischief was, these allies would never be brought to allow, that the common enemy was quite subdued. And they had reason; for it proved at last, that one part of the common enemy was those who called them in, and so the allies became at length the masters.
ref: 1718 December 15 (date written; Gregorian calendar), Jonathan Swift, “A Letter Concerning the Sacramental Test”, in Thomas Sheridan, John Nichols, editors, The Works of the Rev. Jonathan Swift, […], new edition, volume IV, London: […] J[oseph] Johnson, […], published 1801, →OCLC, page 435:
text: Vanity working on a weak head, produces every sort of mischief.
ref: 1815 December (indicated as 1816), [Jane Austen], chapter 8, in Emma: […], volume I, London: […] [Charles Roworth and James Moyes] for John Murray, →OCLC:
text: I fear this means that there is some mischief afoot.
ref: 1914 September – 1915 May, Arthur Conan Doyle, chapter 1, in The Valley of Fear: A Sherlock Holmes Novel, New York, N.Y.: George H[enry] Doran Company, published 27 February 1915, →OCLC:
glosses: Harm or injury:
Harm or trouble caused by an agent or brought about by a particular cause.
examples: text: It may end in her doing a great mischief to herself—and perhaps to others too.
text: [R]eligion / Hides many mischiefs from suspicion.
ref: c. 1589–1590 (date written), Christopher Marlo[we], edited by Tho[mas] Heywood, The Famous Tragedy of the Rich Iew of Malta. […], London: […] I[ohn] B[eale] for Nicholas Vavasour, […], published 1633, →OCLC, Act I:
text: I will heape mischiefes vpon them, I will spend mine arrowes vpon them.
ref: 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Deuteronomy 32:23:
glosses: Harm or injury:
An injury or an instance of harm or trouble caused by a person or other agent or cause.
topics: law
glosses: A criminal offence defined in various ways in various jurisdictions, sometimes including causing damage to another's property.
examples: text: To die like a man of honour, Sir Hargrave, you must have lived like one. You should be sure of your cause. But these pistols are too ready a mischief. Were I to meet you in your own way, Sir Hargrave, I should not expect, that a man so enraged would fire his over my head, as I should be willing to do mine over his. Life I would not put upon the perhaps involuntary twitch of a finger.
ref: 1753 (indicated as 1754), [Samuel Richardson], The History of Sir Charles Grandison. […], volume (please specify |volume=I to VI), London: […] S[amuel] Richardson; [a]nd sold by C. Hitch and L. Hawes, […], →OCLC:
text: Epimetheus was scatter-brained and a mischief to men for having taken the woman [Pandora] that Zeus had formed.
ref: 1993, Carlos Parada, Genealogic Guide to Greek Mythology, page 71:
synonyms: word: bad boy
word: knave
word: rapscallion
word: rascal
word: rogue
word: antimodel
word: bad guy
word: baddie
word: bastard
word: blackguard
word: bounder
word: cad
word: coistril
word: evildoer
word: fustilarian
word: harlot
word: heavy
word: knave
word: lidderon
word: makeshift
word: miscreant
word: ne'er-do-well
word: niding
word: nithing
word: rapscallion
word: rascal
word: rogue
word: scab
word: scamp
word: scapegrace
word: scoundrel
word: scum
word: scumbag
word: thug
word: undesirable
word: varlet
word: villain
word: agitator
word: bad boy
word: bad news
word: bear
word: bhoy
word: blackguard
word: booger
word: boot boy
word: bovver boy
word: brat
word: brawler
word: breedbate
word: buffoon
word: bugger
word: bully
word: charva
word: cutup
word: devil
word: elf
word: enfant terrible
word: firebrand
word: gadfly
word: hell-raiser
word: hood
word: hoodlum
word: hool
word: hoolie
word: hooligan
word: hothead
word: imp
word: inciter
word: initiator
word: instigator
word: jackanapes
word: joker
word: jokester
word: kindle-coal
word: kindle-fire
word: knave
word: lout
word: makebate
word: minx
word: mischief
word: mischief-maker
word: miscreant
word: ne'er-do-well
word: pixie
word: pot stirrer
word: practical joker
word: prankster
word: puck
word: rabble rouser
word: rakeshame
word: rantipole
word: rapscallion
word: rascal
word: rogue
word: roly-poly
word: rowdy
word: ruffian
word: scamp
word: scapegrace
word: scoundrel
word: shit disturber
word: shitmonger
word: shit-stirrer
word: tearaway
word: thug
word: titivil
word: tough
word: troublemaker
word: undesirable
word: vandal
word: wag
word: wagpastie
word: wrangler
word: yob
word: yobbo
glosses: A cause or agent of annoyance, harm or injury, especially a person who causes mischief.
examples: text: What the mischief are you? and how the mischief did you get here, and where in thunder did you come from?
ref: 1967, The Statesman, volume 12, page 260:
glosses: The Devil; used as an expletive.
glosses: Casual and/or flirtatious sexual acts.
Synonyms: sense: harm or injury
word: agitation
sense: harm or injury
word: annoyance
sense: harm or injury
word: corruption
sense: harm or injury
word: damage
sense: harm or injury
word: demolition
sense: harm or injury
word: destruction
sense: harm or injury
word: detriment
sense: harm or injury
word: disablement
sense: harm or injury
word: disruption
sense: harm or injury
word: evil
sense: harm or injury
word: harm
sense: harm or injury
word: hurt
sense: harm or injury
word: ill
sense: harm or injury
word: impairment
sense: harm or injury
word: incapacitation
sense: harm or injury
word: injury
sense: harm or injury
word: nuisance
sense: harm or injury
word: pique
sense: harm or injury
word: ravage
sense: harm or injury
word: sabotage
sense: harm or injury
word: scathe
sense: harm or injury
word: trouble
sense: harm or injury
word: undoing
sense: harm or injury
word: unmaking
sense: harm or injury
word: vexation
sense: harm or injury
word: weakening
sense: harm or injury
word: wrong
word: badness
word: delinquincy
word: devilishness
word: devilment
word: devilry
word: deviltry
word: elfishness
word: goings-on
word: hanky-panky
word: impishness
word: impropriety
word: knavery
word: misbehavior
word: mischief
word: mischievousness
word: misconduct
word: misdemeanor
word: monkey business
word: naughtiness
word: prankishness
word: pranksomeness
word: puckishness
word: rascality
word: roguery
word: roguishness
word: scampishness
Hypernyms: word: improbity
word: villainy
Hyponyms: word: bad manners
word: disobedience
word: ribaldry
Derived terms: do oneself a mischief
malicious mischief
mischiefful
mischiefless
mischief-maker
mischiefmaking
mischievous
mischievously
mischievousness
play the mischief with
Related terms: word: troublemaker
word: evil
word: do evil