Meaning & use

impish

adjective·Academic

Playfully mischievous, in a lighthearted way that suggests harmless trouble-making.

See it in a sentence

The child gave an impish grin before hiding her brother's shoes as a joke.

There was an impish sparkle in her eyes whenever she planned a harmless prank.

A note on using this word

Impish suggests charming, small-scale mischief, unlike naughty or disobedient, which can carry a more negative tone.

Words with a similar meaning

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Words with an opposite meaning

angelicwell-behaved

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “impish”, then compare your use with the examples above.

Your draft stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.