different between envious vs mischievous

English

Etymology

From Middle English envious, from Anglo-Norman envious, from Old French envieus, envious (modern French envieux), from Latin invidi?sus; more at envy. Doublet of invidious, borrowed directly from Latin. Displaced native Old English æfesti?.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /??nv??s/

Adjective

envious (comparative more envious, superlative most envious)

1. Feeling or exhibiting envy; jealously desiring the excellence or good fortune of another; maliciously grudging
   • My soul is envious of mine eye.

2. Excessively careful; cautious.
   • 1650, Jeremy Taylor, The Rule and Exercises of Holy Living

     for no man was ever so amorous, as to love a toad; none so envious, as to repine at the condition of the miserable

3. (obsolete) Malignant; mischievous; spiteful.
4. (obsolete, poetic) Inspiring envy.

Synonyms

• (excessively cautious): overcautious

Translations

See also

• jealous

Anagrams

• niveous, veinous

Old French

Alternative forms

• enviös, envieus

Etymology

From Latin invidi?sus.

Adjective

envious m (oblique and nominative feminine singular enviouse)

1. envious; jealous

Descendants

• French: envieux
• Norman: envieux
• ? English: envious

English

Alternative forms

• mischievious, mischevious (nonstandard forms)

Etymology

From Middle English myschevous, mischevous, from Anglo-Norman meschevous, from Old French meschever, from mes- (“mis-”) + chever (“come to an end”) (from chef (“head”)). Synchronically analyzable as mischief +? -ous.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?m?s.t???.v?s/, /?m?s.t???.v?s/
• (nonstandard) /m?s.?t??i?.vi.?s/ (often along with the nonstandard spelling misch(i)evious)
• (dated) /m?s.?t??i?.v?s/

Adjective

mischievous (comparative more mischievous, superlative most mischievous)

1. Causing mischief; injurious.
2. Troublesome, cheeky, badly behaved.

   Matthew had a twin brother called Edward, who was always mischievous and badly behaved.

Usage notes

The spelling "misch(i)evious" and similar ones can be found since the 16th century, so the corresponding pronunciation is at least as old. But despite being common in a wide range of social classes today, these spellings and the corresponding pronunciation are still considered nonstandard and often viewed as incorrect.

Synonyms

• (causing mischief): harmful, hurtful, detrimental, noxious, pernicious, destructive; see also Thesaurus:harmful
• (badly-behaved): badly-behaved, naughty

Derived terms

• mischievously
• mischievousness

Translations

Further reading

• mischievous in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• mischievous in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• mischievous at OneLook Dictionary Search

Anagrams

• mischevious