Definition of MISCHIEF

mischief

Plural: mischiefs

Noun

  • Playful but troublesome behavior, or minor harm or annoyance.
  • reckless or malicious behavior that causes discomfort or annoyance in others
  • the quality or nature of being harmful or evil
  • Conduct that playfully causes petty annoyance.
  • A playfully annoying action.
  • A group or a pack of rats.
  • Harm or injury:
  • Harm or trouble caused by an agent or brought about by a particular cause.
  • Harm or injury:
  • An injury or an instance of harm or trouble caused by a person or other agent or cause.
  • A criminal offence defined in various ways in various jurisdictions, sometimes including causing damage to another's property.
  • A cause or agent of annoyance, harm or injury, especially a person who causes mischief.
  • The Devil; used as an expletive.
  • Casual and/or flirtatious sexual acts.

Verb

  • To do a mischief to; to harm.
  • To slander.

Examples

  • Drink led to mischief.
  • His opponent’s mischievous strategy often involved blocking crucial scoring lanes.
  • It may end in her doing a great mischief to herself—and perhaps to others too.
  • John's mischief, tying his shoelaces together, irked George at first.
  • She had mischief in her heart.
  • Sooner or later he'll succeed in doing some serious mischief.

Origin / 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

balefulness, devilment, devilry, deviltry, maleficence, mischief-making, mischievousness, rascality, roguery, roguishness, shenanigan, agitation, agitator, annoyance, antimodel, atrociousness, awfulness, bad boy, bad guy, bad news, baddie, badness, bastard, bear, bhoy, blackguard, booger, boot boy, bounder, bovver boy, brat, brawler, breedbate, buffoon, bugger, bully, cad, charva, coistril, corruption, corruptness, criminality, cutup, dacoity, damage, delinquency, delinquincy, demolition, depravity, destruction, detriment, devil, devilishness, disablement, disruption, elf, elfishness, enfant terrible, enormity, evil, evildoer, evilness, firebrand, fustilarian, gadfly, goings-on, hanky-panky, harlot, harm, heavy, hell-raiser, hood, hoodlum, hool, hoolie, hooligan, hothead, hurt, ill, immorality, imp, impairment, impishness, impropriety, incapacitation, inciter, initiator, injury, instigator, jackanapes, joker, jokester, kindle-coal, kindle-fire, knave, knavery, lidderon, lout, makebate, makeshift, minx, misbehavior, mischief, mischief-maker, misconduct, miscreant, misdemeanor, monkey business, naughtiness, ne'er-do-well, nefariousness, niding, nithing, nuisance, pique, pixie, pot stirrer, practical joker, prankishness, pranksomeness, prankster, puck, puckishness, rabble rouser, rakeshame, rantipole, rapscallion, rascal, ravage, rogue, roly-poly, rowdy, ruffian, sabotage, savagery, scab, scamp, scampishness, scapegrace, scathe, scoundrel, scoundrelry, scum, scumbag, scumminess, shit disturber, shit-stirrer, shitmonger, tearaway, thug, titivil, tough, trouble, troublemaker, turpitude, undesirable, undoing, unmaking, vandal, varlet, vexation, vileness, villain, villainhood, villainousness, villainry, villainy, wag, wagpastie, weakening, wickedness, wrangler, wrong, yob, yobbo

Scrabble Score: 18

mischief: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
mischief: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
mischief: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 19

mischief: valid Words With Friends Word