Meaning & use
mischievous one
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Meanings
phrasesingular
A person, especially a child, who enjoys playful troublemaking or minor naughty behavior.
Grammar: Countable phrase; it takes 'a' or 'the' and can be pluralized as 'mischievous ones'.
Patterns
- a mischievous one
- the mischievous one in the group
- such a mischievous one
Her little brother is the mischievous one who hides everyone's shoes.
In the story, the mischievous one always finds a way to cause trouble.
He grinned like a mischievous one who had just played a trick.
phrasesingular
Used to single out someone or something that behaves playfully or slightly badly.
Grammar: Often follows 'the' when contrasting one member of a group with the others.
Patterns
- be the mischievous one
- behave like a mischievous one
Among the puppies, the smallest was the mischievous one.
She was always the mischievous one at family gatherings.
Common combinations
- the mischievous one
- Everyone knew she was the mischievous one in the class.
- such a mischievous one
- He's such a mischievous one that no one leaves cookies out.
- a mischievous one at heart
- Though quiet, he was a mischievous one at heart.
Synonyms and how they differ
- rascal
- Stronger and slightly old-fashioned; it suggests a person who causes trouble but is still likable.
- imp
- More literary and often refers to a small, playful creature or child.
- troublemaker
- More negative; it suggests real problems rather than harmless play.
Opposites
Word family
- mischief noun
- Playful or slightly bad behavior.
- mischievously adverb
- In a playful, slightly naughty way.
- mischievousness noun
- The quality of being playful and slightly naughty.
Commonly confused: mischievous one or mischievous?
mischievous one vs mischievous
The adjective describes the behavior; 'mischievous one' is the person or animal showing it.
Practice
Which sentence uses the phrase correctly?
Choose one answer.
The phrase needs a determiner such as 'a' or 'the', so 'a mischievous one' is correct. Option B omits the article, C uses the adjective without a noun, and D leaves out the verb.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “mischievous one”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.