Mischievous
adjective
Definition
1. Behaving in a slightly bad but playful way.
2. Intended to cause harm or trouble.
2. Intended to cause harm or trouble.
Context Alive
The teacher turned her back to write on the board. One of the boys gave a mischievous grin and quietly swapped the pencils on his friend’s desk. The whole class tried not to laugh as the friend looked around in total confusion.
Meanings
2 meanings 1 Playfully Naughty or Troublesome (Adjective) Very Common ▼
This meaning is about someone behaving in a slightly bad but harmless and fun way. Imagine a little girl hiding her dad’s phone and watching him search the whole house for it, giggling behind the sofa with a mischievous smile on her face. This is being mischievous — playfully causing small trouble. You might say “the kids were being mischievous all afternoon” or someone could describe “a mischievous look in his eyes.” Or picture a puppy that steals socks and runs away, clearly enjoying the chase. The word carries warmth and humor, not real anger. ✏️ This is almost always positive or neutral — it describes fun trouble, not serious harm.
Vivid ExampleThe twins had been suspiciously quiet all morning. Their mother found them in the kitchen with mischievous grins, covered in flour from head to toe. They had tried to bake her a birthday cake entirely on their own.
2 Intended to Cause Harm or Trouble (Adjective) Less Common ▼
This meaning is about something deliberately designed to cause damage or problems. Imagine a politician spreading mischievous rumors about a rival, knowing the claims are false but hoping to ruin their reputation before the election. This is mischievous in a serious, harmful way. You might read “the report was full of mischievous claims” or someone could call a news story “deliberately mischievous and damaging.” Or think about a colleague who makes mischievous suggestions in a meeting to create conflict between team members. The word carries a sense of deliberate troublemaking. ✏️ This meaning is more formal and appears mostly in news, politics, and legal language — very different in tone from meaning 1.
Vivid ExampleSomeone leaked a mischievous story to the press about the company’s finances. None of it was true, but the damage was done. Share prices dropped overnight and it took weeks to restore public confidence.
Examples from the Street
“He gave me a mischievous grin and I knew he was up to something.”
He flashed me a cheeky, playful smile and I could tell he was planning something sneaky
“She’s a lovely kid, just a bit mischievous — always hiding the TV remote.”
She’s a sweet child, just a little naughty in a harmless way — she’s constantly tucking the controller away where nobody can find it
“There was a mischievous twinkle in his eye when he said it.”
There was a playful, slightly naughty spark in the way he looked at me when he spoke
Common Patterns
a mischievous child/kid/boy/girl → a young person who enjoys playful troublemaking
be mischievous → behave in a playfully naughty way
a bit/little mischievous → slightly naughty but in a harmless, endearing way
mischievous by nature → naturally inclined to playful troublemaking
a mischievous grin/smile/smirk → a facial expression suggesting playful intent or a secret plan
a mischievous look/glance → a glance that hints someone is about to do something cheeky
a mischievous twinkle/glint in someone’s eye → a spark in someone’s expression that reveals playfulness
a mischievous sense of humour → a style of comedy that enjoys teasing or playful tricks
a mischievous tone/voice → speaking in a way that hints at playful intent
mischievous behaviour/conduct → actions that cause trouble, sometimes beyond playful
mischievous intent/intentions → a deliberate aim to cause disruption or problems
mischievous rumours/claims → deliberately misleading or troublemaking statements
Collocations
3 collocationsmischievous grin
a playful smile suggesting naughty intent
mischievous behaviour
playful but slightly naughty actions
mischievous child
a kid who loves playful trouble
Example Sentences
12 examples
1
The mischievous boy hid his teacher’s pen and pretended he had no idea where it was
The playfully naughty lad tucked his instructor’s writing tool away and acted completely innocent about its disappearance.
2
She’s not badly behaved — she’s just a bit mischievous and likes testing boundaries
She doesn’t have poor conduct — she’s simply a little cheeky and enjoys seeing how far she can push the rules.
3
He’s always been mischievous by nature — even as a toddler he’d find new ways to cause chaos
He’s always had a naturally playful, troublemaking streak — even as a very small child he’d constantly discover fresh methods of creating disorder.
4
She flashed me a mischievous grin before dropping the surprise announcement at dinner
She shot me a cheeky, knowing smile right before revealing the unexpected news during the meal.
5
There was a mischievous glint in his eye that told me he wasn’t being entirely honest
There was a playful spark in the way he looked at me that made it clear he wasn’t telling the full truth.
6
Her grandfather had a mischievous sense of humour — he loved playing harmless pranks on the whole family
Her grandad had a playfully cheeky comedic style — he took great pleasure in pulling innocent tricks on all his relatives.
7
“I may have eaten the last piece of cake,” she said in a mischievous tone, clearly not sorry at all
“I might have finished off the final slice,” she admitted with a playfully teasing voice, obviously showing no remorse whatsoever.
8
The puppy’s mischievous behaviour included chewing shoes, stealing socks, and knocking over bins
The young dog’s naughty antics involved destroying footwear, grabbing stockings, and tipping over rubbish containers.
9
The article was clearly written with mischievous intent — it twisted the facts to embarrass the minister
The piece was obviously composed with a deliberate aim to cause trouble — it distorted the truth to humiliate the government official.
10
The opposition called the report mischievous and accused the government of spreading misleading claims to distract the public
The rival party labelled the findings as deliberately troublemaking and charged the ruling authorities with putting out false statements to divert people’s attention.
Learner Examples
★
Every class has at least one mischievous student who finds creative ways to make everyone laugh when the teacher’s back is turned
Every group has at least one playfully naughty learner who comes up with inventive methods of getting the whole room giggling the moment the instructor looks away.
★
There’s a mischievous pleasure in catching a grammar mistake in your teacher’s writing — even the best instructors slip up sometimes
There’s a cheeky satisfaction in spotting a language error in your instructor’s own work — even the finest educators make the occasional blunder.
Phrasal Verbs & Idioms
0 items
Synonyms & Antonyms
7 items
Synonymsnaughty
playfully bad
playful
full of fun
cheeky
bold and fun
impish
like a little devil
Antonymswell-behaved
following rules
obedient
doing what's told
serious
not playful