mischievous
Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
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[edit] English
[edit] Etymology
From Anglo-Norman meschevous, from Old French meschever, from mes- (“mis-”) + chever (“come to an end”) (from chef (“head”)).
[edit] Pronunciation
[edit] Adjective
mischievous (comparative more mischievous, superlative most mischievous)
- Causing mischief; injurious.
- 1793, Joseph Butler, The Analogy of Religion:
- ...; that good and bad actions at present are naturally rewarded and punished, not only as beneficial and mischievous to society, but also as virtuous and civious; ...
- 1892, Henry Sidgwick, Outlines of the History of Ethics:
- On the whole, therefore, he concludes that the point of indulgence at which these self-passions or self-affections begin to be mischievous to the individual coincides with that at which they begin to be mischievous to society; ...
- 1793, Joseph Butler, The Analogy of Religion:
- Troublesome, cheeky, badly behaved.
- Matthew had a twin brother called Edward, who was always mischievous and badly behaved.
[edit] Usage notes
- Nouns to which "mischievous" is often applied: person, child, boy, fairy, cat, monkey, behavior, act.
[edit] Synonyms
- (causing mischief): harmful, hurtful, detrimental, noxious, pernicious, destructive; see also Wikisaurus:harmful
- (badly-behaved): badly-behaved, naughty
[edit] Derived terms
[edit] Translations
causing mischief
naughty
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[edit] External links
- mischievous in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
- mischievous in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911
- mischievous at OneLook Dictionary Search
