'Mischief' definitions:
Definition of 'mischief'
From: WordNet
noun
Reckless or malicious behavior that causes discomfort or annoyance in others [syn: mischief, mischief-making, mischievousness, deviltry, devilry, devilment, rascality, roguery, roguishness, shenanigan]
noun
The quality or nature of being harmful or evil [syn: maleficence, mischief, balefulness] [ant: beneficence]
Definition of 'Mischief'
From: GCIDE
- Mischief \Mis"chief\ (m[i^]s"ch[i^]f), n. [OE. meschef bad result, OF. meschief; pref. mes- (L. minus less) + chief end, head, F. chef chief. See Minus, and Chief.] [1913 Webster]
- 1. Harm; damage; esp., disarrangement of order; trouble or vexation caused by human agency or by some living being, intentionally or not; often, calamity, mishap; trivial evil caused by thoughtlessness, or in sport. --Chaucer. [1913 Webster]
- Thy tongue deviseth mischiefs. --Ps. lii. 2. [1913 Webster]
- The practice whereof shall, I hope, secure me from many mischiefs. --Fuller. [1913 Webster]
- 2. Cause of trouble or vexation; trouble. --Milton. [1913 Webster]
- The mischief was, these allies would never allow that the common enemy was subdued. --Swift. [1913 Webster]
- To be in mischief, to be doing harm or causing annoyance.
- To make mischief, to do mischief, especially by exciting quarrels.
- To play the mischief, to cause great harm; to throw into confusion. [Colloq.] [1913 Webster]
- Syn: Damage; harm; hurt; injury; detriment; evil; ill.
- Usage: Mischief, Damage, Harm. Damage is an injury which diminishes the value of a thing; harm is an injury which causes trouble or inconvenience; mischief is an injury which disturbs the order and consistency of things. We often suffer damage or harm from accident, but mischief always springs from perversity or folly. [1913 Webster]
Definition of 'Mischief'
From: GCIDE
- Mischief \Mis"chief\, v. t. To do harm to. [Obs.] --Milton. [1913 Webster]
Synonyms of 'mischief'
From: Moby Thesaurus
- abomination,
- atrocity,
- bad,
- bad boy,
- badness,
- bane,
- bankruptcy,
- befoulment,
- blight,
- booger,
- breakage,
- breakdown,
- buffoon,
- bugger,
- clash,
- clashing,
- collapse,
- conflict,
- contention,
- corruption,
- crack-up,
- crippling,
- crying evil,
- cutup,
- damage,
- defilement,
- despoliation,
- destruction,
- detriment,
- devil,
- devilishness,
- devilment,
- devilry,
- deviltry,
- diablerie,
- difference,
- difficulty,
- dilapidation,
- disablement,
- disaccord,
- disadvantage,
- disaffinity,
- discord,
- discordance,
- discordancy,
- Discordia,
- disharmony,
- disrepair,
- disruption,
- dissension,
- dissent,
- division,
- drawback,
- elf,
- elfishness,
- encroachment,
- enfant terrible,
- enmity,
- Eris,
- evil,
- foolishness,
- friction,
- funmaker,
- grievance,
- handicap,
- hardship,
- harm,
- havoc,
- high spirits,
- hobbling,
- hood,
- hoodlum,
- hooligan,
- hurt,
- hurting,
- ill,
- imp,
- impairment,
- impishness,
- incapacitation,
- incompatibility,
- incompatibleness,
- infection,
- infringement,
- inharmoniousness,
- inharmony,
- injury,
- inroad,
- jangle,
- jar,
- joker,
- jokester,
- knave,
- liability,
- limb,
- little devil,
- little monkey,
- little rascal,
- loss,
- loss of ground,
- maiming,
- mayhem,
- minx,
- misbehavior,
- mischief-maker,
- mischievousness,
- misfortune,
- monkey business,
- monkeyshines,
- mutilation,
- naughtiness,
- noncooperation,
- open conflict,
- outrage,
- pixie,
- playfulness,
- poison,
- pollution,
- practical joker,
- prankishness,
- pranksomeness,
- prankster,
- prejudice,
- puck,
- puckishness,
- rapscallion,
- rascal,
- rascality,
- rogue,
- roguery,
- roguishness,
- rowdy,
- rub,
- ruffian,
- ruin,
- ruination,
- ruinousness,
- sabotage,
- scalawag,
- scamp,
- scampishness,
- scapegrace,
- scathe,
- shenanigans,
- sickening,
- spoiling,
- sportiveness,
- step backward,
- strained relations,
- strife,
- tension,
- the worst,
- toxin,
- trouble,
- unharmoniousness,
- unpleasantness,
- variance,
- venom,
- vexation,
- villain,
- wag,
- waggery,
- waggishness,
- weakening,
- woe,
- wrong,
- youthful spirits