mischievous

/ˈmɪstʃɪvəs/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈmɪstʃɪvəs/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈmis-chə-vəs ˈmish-; nonstandard mis-ˈchē-vē-əs mish-/ (ame, mw)

mischievous — adjective

  • mischievouspositive
  • more mischievouscomparative
  • most mischievoussuperlative

1. describes someone, often a child, who acts in a playful way that is slightly nau

1.形容詞B1
釋義

describes someone, often a child, who acts in a playful way that is slightly naughty — the person does not mean to seriously hurt or upset others.

例句

Theo's mischievous little brother hid the TV remote just to tease everyone.

collocation: mischievous little brother

A mischievous kitten chased a ball of wool across the kitchen floor.

同義詞
  • naughty

    more general, can describe serious misbehaviour; 'mischievous' suggests fun intent

  • playful

    less negative, no rule-breaking; focuses on fun rather than naughtiness

  • cheeky

    specifically about impolite or slightly rude behaviour, often with confidence

反義詞

用法筆記

This sense is positive or neutral — it describes harmless fun rather than wrongdoing. Adults can also be mischievous, but the word is most common with children or pets.

常見錯誤

❌The mischievous student broke the classroom window on purpose.
✅The naughty student broke the classroom window on purpose.
💡'mischievous' in this sense implies playful intent without serious harm; use 'naughty' or 'destructive' for deliberate damage.
❌He gave a mischievous speech at the conference.
✅He gave a playful speech at the conference.
💡Use 'playful' for adult behaviour that is light-hearted but not rule-breaking.

2. describes a look, smile, wink, or other expression that shows a playful or cheek

2.形容詞B2
釋義

describes a look, smile, wink, or other expression that shows a playful or cheeky intention — the person looks as though they are thinking of doing something slightly naughty.

例句

Sofia gave her sister a mischievous wink from across the dinner table.

collocation: mischievous wink

There was a mischievous sparkle in Javier's eyes as he told the funny story.

collocation: mischievous sparkle

同義詞
  • impish

    more specific — suggests a cheeky, fairy-like expression; less common than 'mischievous'

  • roguish

    suggests charm and cheekiness, often in an endearing way

常見錯誤

❌She had a mischievous personality.
✅She had a mischievous grin.
💡This sense describes expressions and looks, not character traits; use sense 1 or 'playful' for describing someone's nature.

3. describes words, behaviour, or actions that are deliberately intended to cause s

3.形容詞C1
釋義

describes words, behaviour, or actions that are deliberately intended to cause serious trouble, damage, or hurt — especially to someone's reputation or feelings.

例句

The newspaper article contained mischievous lies about the politician's past.

collocation: mischievous lies

Kenji regretted the mischievous gossip he had spread about his classmate.

collocation: mischievous gossip

同義詞
  • malicious

    stronger and more direct about spiteful intent; 'mischievous' is slightly softer

  • harmful

    less specific about intent; can describe unintended harm too

  • spiteful

    emphasises wanting to upset or annoy someone

反義詞

用法筆記

This sense is strongly negative. Unlike sense 1 (playful), sense 3 is about deliberate harm. The object is typically something abstract — words, rumours, gossip — not a person.

常見錯誤

❌The mischievous boy broke his friend's toy.
✅The mischievous rumours damaged her reputation.
💡Sense 3 applies to harmful words and ideas, not to children's playful actions.
❌He made a mischievous joke about her haircut.
✅He made a hurtful joke about her haircut.
💡For deliberately unkind remarks, 'hurtful' or 'malicious' is more appropriate than 'mischievous'.