Mischief Mis"chief (mĭs"chĭf)
noun [ Middle English
meschef bad result, Old French
meschief ; prefix
mes- (L.
minus less) +
chief end, head, French
chef chief. See
Minus , and
Chief .]
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. Thy tongue deviseth mischiefs .
Ps. lii. 2. The practice whereof shall, I hope, secure me from many mischiefs .
Fuller. 2. Cause of trouble or vexation; trouble. Milton. The mischief was, these allies would never allow that the common enemy was subdued.
Swift. 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.]
Syn. -- Damage; harm; hurt; injury; detriment; evil; ill. --
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.