mischievous
- Playfully naughty in a way that causes minor trouble but is usually not meant to be truly harmful.
In a sentence
- The mischievous puppy hid one of Dad's shoes under the couch.
- A mischievous grin spread across her face as she planned the surprise prank.
Usage note. A very common mispronunciation is 'mis-CHEEV-ee-us' (four syllables); the standard pronunciation has only three syllables: MIS-chuh-vus.
Where it comes from
English mischievous · entered English 14th c.
From Old French 'meschevance,' meaning misfortune or bad outcome, derived from 'meschever' (to meet with misfortune), from 'mes-' (badly) and 'chever' (to come to an end). It entered English in the 14th century and gradually softened in meaning from 'harmful' to 'playfully naughty.'