mischievous

IPA/ˈmɪstʃɪvəs/
KK[mˈɪstʃəvəs]IPA/ˈmɪstʃɪvəs/

mischievous — 形容詞

  • 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

調皮的；頑皮的

好玩的惡作劇，無惡意

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.

Theo 那個調皮的小弟把電視遙控器藏起來，只是想逗大家玩。

collocation: mischievous little brother

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

一隻頑皮的小貓追著一團毛線跑過廚房地板。

常見搭配
  • mischievous child
  • mischievous boy/girl
  • mischievous grin
  • mischievous laugh
  • mischievous look
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

淘氣表情的

神情暗示想搗蛋

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.

Sofia 隔著餐桌對妹妹淘氣地眨了眨眼。

collocation: mischievous wink

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

Javier 一邊講那個有趣的故事，眼裡閃爍著淘氣的光芒。

collocation: mischievous sparkle

常見搭配
  • mischievous grin
  • mischievous smile
  • mischievous wink
  • mischievous look
  • mischievous expression
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

惡意的；有害的

意圖傷害名譽或情感

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.

那篇報紙文章包含了關於那位政治人物過去的惡意謊言。

collocation: mischievous lies

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

Kenji 對自己散播關於同學的惡意閒話感到很後悔。

collocation: mischievous gossip

常見搭配
  • mischievous rumours
  • mischievous gossip
  • mischievous lies
  • mischievous comments
  • mischievous behaviour
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'.

同根字

常見搭配

名詞搭配

副詞搭配

  • very mischievous
  • quite mischievous
  • a bit mischievous
  • extremely mischievous

常用片語

  • full of mischief
  • a mischievous sense of humour