dev·il·ment

(dĕv′əl-mənt)

Devilish behavior; mischief.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

devilment

(ˈdɛvəlmənt)

devilish or mischievous conduct

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

dev•il•ment

(ˈdɛv əl mənt)

n.

mischief; deviltry.

[1765–75]

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun

devilment - reckless or malicious behavior that causes discomfort or annoyance in others

mischief, mischief-making, roguery, shenanigan, roguishness, devilry, deviltry, mischievousness, rascality

misbehavior, misbehaviour, misdeed - improper or wicked or immoral behavior

blaze, hell - noisy and unrestrained mischief; "raising blazes"

monkey business - mischievous or deceitful behavior

hooliganism, malicious mischief, vandalism - willful wanton and malicious destruction of the property of others

devilment

noun mischief, naughtiness, mischievousness, devilry, knavery, roguishness, roguery, rascality We sent him a Valentine card out of sheer devilment.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

Translations

devilment

n → (grober) Unfug; just for devilment → aus lauter Übermut; her eyes twinkled with devilment → ihre Augen blitzten voller Übermut

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

devilment

[ˈdɛvlmənt] (old) n (mischief) → birichinate fpl; (wickedness) → cattiveria

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

Mentioned in

References in classic literature

"It was just so with my Joe -- always full of his devilment, and up to every kind of mischief, but he was just as unselfish and kind as he could be -- and laws bless me, to think I went and whipped him for taking that cream, never once recollecting that I throwed it out myself because it was sour, and I never to see him again in this world, never, never, never, poor abused boy!" And Mrs.

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Hal was the worst of the lot and always up to some devilment. He once stole a load of boards from his father's mill and sold them in Winesburg.

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It was surprising that Nature had gone tranquilly on with her golden process in the midst of so much devilment.

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In two days she had him so stuck after her that she - well, YOU know how he follows her everywhere, and sets on her shoulder often when she rides her breakneck rampages - all of which is the girl-twin to the front, you see - and he does what he pleases, and is up to all kinds of devilment, and is a perfect nuisance in the kitchen.

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He told me to watch out sharp and let him know when the men come in sight again; said they was up to some devilment or other -- wouldn't be gone long.

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Yet when Alleyne had passed him, of a sudden, out of pure devilment, he screamed out a curse at him, and sent a jagged flint stone hurtling past his ear.

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I'm fond of Matey--all the fonder on account of the spice of devilment that's in him--like there is in all cats.

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Finally, there was our host, with his rugged, eagle face, and his cold, blue, glacier eyes with always a shimmer of devilment and of humor down in the depths of them.

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Our eyes met; and in his there was that starry twinkle of mirth and mischief, that sunny beam of audacious devilment, which had been my undoing two months before, which was to undo me as often as he chose until the chapter's end.

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One local described it as "devilment." It's as though a sudden madness comes over children, usually boys.

PETER RHODES

He confirmed to me that he resigned voluntarily yesterday (Thursday).' Barely 24 hours after the National Judicial Council (NJC) concluded investigating Onnoghen for various allegations of misconduct, he was believed to have turned in his resignation letter to President Muhammadu Buhari, to avoid being sacked, but the devilment has not been officially confirmed.

JUST IN: Suspended CJN Walter Onnoghen Resigns

It is a special kind of devilment. Serious debate is banned in case some extremist is offended.

Keyboard cowards are shutting down debate