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rmful; hurtful; -- now often applied where the evil is done carelessly or in sport; as, a mischievous child. "Most mischievous foul sin." Shak. This false, wily, doubling disposition is intolerably mischievous to society. South.

Whatever tends to prevent mischievous effects, or to counteract evil which something else might produce.

Cunning or sly; sportively mischievous; roguish; as, an arch look, word, lad. [He] spoke his request with so arch a leer. Tatler.

The goddess of mischievous folly; also, in later poets, the goddess of vengeance.

Froward; malignant; mischievous; malicious; snarling. [Obs.] Though his mind Be ne'er so curst, his tonque is kind. Crashaw.

Procuring or causing loss; mischievous; injurious.

g to bring about ruin, death, or devastation; ruinous; fatal; productive of serious evil; mischievous; pernicious; -- often with of or to; as, intemperance is destructive of health; evil examples are destructive to the morals of youth. Time's destructive power. Wordsworth. Destructive distillation. See Distillation. -…

irit, supposed to haunt hills and wild places, and generally represented as delighting in mischievous tricks. Every elf, and fairy sprite, Hop as light as bird from brier. Shak.

Of or relating to the elves; elflike; implike; weird; scarcely human; mischievous, as though caused by elves. "Elfish light." Coleridge. The elfish intelligence that was so familiar an expression on her small physiognomy. Hawthorne.

Pertaining to elves; implike; mischievous; weird; also, vacant; absent in demeanor. See Elfish. He seemeth elvish by his countenance. Chaucer.

Malignant; mischievous; spiteful. [Obs.] Each envious brier his weary legs doth scratch. Shak.

ties tending to injury and mischief; having a nature or properties which tend to badness; mischievous; not good; worthless or deleterious; poor; as, an evil beast; and evil plant; an evil crop. A good tree can not bring forth evil fruit. Matt. vii. 18.

An evil or mischievous spirit; a playful or malicious elf; a frightful phantom; a gnome. To whom the goblin, full of wrath, replied. Milton.

Full of harm; injurious; hurtful; mischievous. " Most harmful hazards." Strype. --Harm"ful*ly, adv. -- Harm"ful*ness, n.

Tending to impair or damage; injurious; mischievous; occasioning loss or injury; as, hurtful words or conduct.

Mischievous; hurtful; harassing. [Obs.] Spenser.

Mischievous; harmful; dangerous. [Obs.] "Infestuous as serpents." Bacon.

Causing injury or harm; hurtful; harmful; detrimental; mischievous; as, acts injurious to health, credit, reputation, property, etc. Without being injurious to the memory of our English Pindar. Dryden.

In an injurious or hurtful manner; wrongfully; hurtfully; mischievously.

Roguish or mischievous tricks. Shak.