impish

English

Etymology

imp +‎ -ish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɪmpɪʃ/

Adjective

impish ‎(comparative more impish, superlative most impish)

1. mischievous; of or befitting an imp.
   • 1897, H. G. Wells, chapter 1, in A Story of the Stone Age^[1]:

     Wild-eyed youngsters they were, with matted hair and little broad-nosed impish faces, covered (as some children are covered even nowadays) with a delicate down of hair.

   • 1942, Virginia Woolf, chapter 20, in The Death of the Moth, and other essays^[2]:

     But the antics of Mr. Moore, though impish and impudent, are, after all, so amusing and so graceful that the governess, it is said, sometimes hides behind a tree to watch.

Synonyms

• (naughtily or annoyingly playful): implike, mischievous, pixilated, prankish, puckish

Translations

mischievous

• Dutch: ondeugend (nl)
• Finnish: ilkikurinen
• French: malicieux (fr) m, espiègle (fr) m, f, lutin (fr) m

• Italian: maligno (it), malevolo (it)
• Portuguese: levado (pt), travesso (pt)
• Spanish: pícaro (es) m, travieso (es) m