What does mischievously mean?
Word: Mischievously
Part of Speech: Adverb
Meaning: Mischievously means in a playful way that causes a little trouble but does no real harm.
Synonyms: playfully, impishly
Antonyms: obediently
How do you spell mischievously?
Syllables: mis - chie - vous - ly
Tricky part: There is no i between the v and ous: the dictionary says MIS-chi-vus, not mis-CHEE-vee-us.
Watch out for: mischievious, mischieviously
Memory tip: Say it the dictionary way, with the stress on mis: three beats before ly, so no extra i can sneak in before ous.
Mischievously in a sentence
Example 1: The puppy looked at me mischievously and ran off with my sock.
Example 2: My little cousin grinned mischievously before hiding Dad's spectacles.
Example 3: The twins giggled mischievously as they swapped their name badges.
Fun Fact
Mischief comes from an Old French word for misfortune; over the centuries its meaning softened from real harm to the playful naughtiness we mean today.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word:
mischievously
a) gratefully
b) sleepily
c) nervously
d) naughtily
Show answer
d) naughtily. Both words describe behaviour that is a little bad but meant in fun.
Word Makeup
Choose the suffix that completes the word:
mischievous____
a) ily
b) lly
c) ly
d) ley
Show answer
c) ly. Adjectives ending in ous just add ly, as famous becomes famously.
Spell-o-Spell
Choose the correctly spelt word:
a) sincerly
b) curiusly
c) jealosly
d) mischievously
Show answer
d) mischievously. Curiously keeps its ous, jealously does too, and sincerely keeps the e of sincere.
Mingle-Mangle
Form a meaningful word from the jumbled letters:
ussmyiecilvoh
a) meticulously
b) mischievously
c) mysteriously
d) mischievous
Show answer
b) mischievously. The jumble has an h and a v as well as an l and a y, and only one option has all four.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. A child who smiles mischievously is probably ____.
a) feeling very unwell
b) worried about a test
c) planning a harmless prank
d) about to fall asleep
Show answer
c) planning a harmless prank
2. Someone who grins mischievously has a ____ grin.
a) nervous
b) sleepy
c) gloomy
d) cheeky
Show answer
d) cheeky
