mischief : Dictionary / Wörterbuch (BEOLINGUS, TU Chemnitz)

English Dictionary: mischief	by the DICT Development Group
3 results for mischief
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
mischief n reckless or malicious behavior that causes discomfort or annoyance in others Synonym(s): mischief, mischief-making, mischievousness, deviltry, devilry, devilment, rascality, roguery, roguishness, shenanigan the quality or nature of being harmful or evil Synonym(s): maleficence, mischief, balefulness Antonym(s): beneficence
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Mischief \Mis"chief\, v. t. To do harm to. [Obs.] --Milton.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Mischief \Mis"chief\, n. [OE. meschef bad result, OF. meschief; pref. mes- (L. minus less) + chief end, head, F. 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. 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.