impish
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of impish
Explanation
If you know someone who's playful and mischievous, you can describe them as impish. Your impish little brother probably gets away with all kinds of pranks because he's so cute. If you're impish, you might play practical jokes on people, tease them, tickle them, or be otherwise cheerfully annoying. The troublemaker in a kindergarten class is likely to be fairly impish, naughty and a little silly. The adjective impish comes from imp, a mythological creature that's similar to a fairy but known in folklore for its jokes and pranks.
Vocabulary lists containing impish
Stargirl
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A Thousand Splendid Suns
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The Color Purple
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“I consider myself a kind of impish person, but still fundamentally sincere.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 22, 2026
The novel blends grit, romanticism and impish humor.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026
Mr. Powell radiates such manly American likability that it’s bizarrely out of character for him to play this ruthless schemer, even as an impish chancer.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 19, 2026
These alternately grave and impish modes recur throughout the show, aptly subtitled “Serious Play,” often combining in a single image.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 12, 2025
Koffi gave him an impish grin as she shook one of the boughs and sent more of the tree’s fruit to the ground.
From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.