Synonyms for mischief
Synonyms by meaning
Noun
1. Harm or injury — harm or injury, Harm or trouble caused by an agent or brought about by a particular cause
harm, damage, trouble, injury, ill, wrong, hurt, nuisance, vexation, misfortune, sabotage, detriment, disruption, annoyance, ruin, destruction, outrage, undoing, agitation, impairment, ravage, weakening
2. Evil — conduct that playfully causes petty annoyance
evil, naughtiness, badness, misbehavior US, misbehaviour UK, corruption, roguery, delinquency, rascality, scampishness, wickedness, depravity
3. Deviltry
deviltry, devilry, devilment, mischievousness, roguishness, shenanigan informal
4. Rascal — A cause or agent of annoyance, harm or injury, especially a person who causes mischief
rascal, prankster, scamp, ruffian, devil, bad-boy, jokester, monkey-shine, rowdy, elf, minx, joker, rogue, knave, hooligan, imp, villain, bugger, practical joker, buffoon, wag, bastard
Other
monkey business informal, devilishness, elfishness, impishness, prankishness, pranksomeness, puckishness, maleficence, balefulness
Definitions
- n. 1
Conduct that playfully causes petty annoyance.
- n. 2
Harm or injury: Harm or trouble caused by an agent or brought about by a particular cause.
She had mischief in her heart.
- n. 3
A cause or agent of annoyance, harm or injury, especially a person who causes mischief.
- n. 4
A playfully annoying action.
John's mischief, tying his shoelaces together, irked George at first.
Related words
- Word family
- mischief-maker mischievous mischievously mischievousness
- Phrases
- malicious mischief
- Is a kind of
- improbity villainy
Forms
- Plural
- mischiefs → harms, damages, troubles, injuries…
Choose the right word
Mischief is disarrangement, trouble, or harm usually caused by some voluntary agent, with or without injurious intent; a child's thoughtless sport may do great mischief; wrong is harm done with evil intent.
J. C. Fernald, English Synonyms and Antonyms (1914)
Example sentences
- damage The explosion did a lot of damage to the building.
- harm This kind of magazine can do harm to young people.
- nuisance If you only knew how much of a nuisance you are!
- vexation Free yourself of sadness, vexation, and fear!
- evil Grr! Avoid not, unwelcome evil and cowardly beast!
- naughtiness I like her all the better for her naughtiness.
By length
- 3 letters
- ill1, elf1, imp1, wag1
- 4 letters
- hurt1, evil2, harm1, ruin2, minx
- 5 letters
- wrong1, devil2, rogue1, joker2, rowdy2, knave1, scamp
- 6 letters
- damage2, injury3, rascal2, bugger2, ravage2
- 7 letters
- trouble2, villain2, bastard2, outrage2, undoing3, buffoon2, badness2, ruffian, devilry, roguery
- 8 letters
- sabotage3, nuisance2, hooligan3, vexation, jokester2, deviltry
- 9 letters
- weakening3, detriment3, annoyance3, agitation4, depravity4, prankster2, devilment, rascality
- 10 letters
- corruption3, disruption3, impairment3, misfortune3, wickedness3, shenanigan4, elfishness, impishness
- 11 letters
- destruction3, delinquency4, misbehavior4, naughtiness, maleficence, roguishness, puckishness, balefulness
- 12 letters
- misbehaviour, scampishness, devilishness, prankishness
- 13 letters
- pranksomeness
- 15 letters
- mischievousness
The small number after each word is its number of syllables (evil2 = 2 syllables).
In other languages
- Français
- espièglerie
- Español
- picardía
- Català
- entremaliadura