as in mischievous
tending to or exhibiting reckless playfulness
those rascally boys had let all of the lab mice out of their cages
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Recent Examples of rascally
In 1950, scientists deployed a virus called Myxoma to destroy the rascally rabbits.
—
Bethany Brookshire, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 Dec. 2022
The Los Angeles Rams, starring as the rascally rabbit, defeated the slow-and-deliberate Cincinnati Bengals in a fascinating case study between completely opposite approaches to team-building.
—Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Feb. 2022
Esty’s flight from Brooklyn has the feel of a thriller, complete with a cat-and-mouse chase as Yanky and his rascally cousin Moishe fly to Germany in pursuit.
—Rachel Syme, The New Yorker, 9 Apr. 2020
Mitch and Haylie Ferguson said the rascally rodent had somehow gotten into the fireplace, then proceeded to go on a 10-minute rampage running around the living room, news agency SWNS reports.
—Fox News, 19 Dec. 2019
Oldest sib Creighton, 32, thought back to the family’s former home, the Cleveland suburb of Rocky River, and the cops who’d bug him and his rascally brothers around town.
—Sean Gregory/bongpyeong, Time, 11 Feb. 2018
The event, which is already sold-out in the elegant waterfront Clipper Room at Hammond Marina, will include topics from the history of farming to today's gardening and wrangling with rascally rabbit populations.
—Philip Potempa, Post-Tribune, 30 Mar. 2018
Bethany Brookshire, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 Dec. 2022
The Los Angeles Rams, starring as the rascally rabbit, defeated the slow-and-deliberate Cincinnati Bengals in a fascinating case study between completely opposite approaches to team-building.
—Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Feb. 2022
Esty’s flight from Brooklyn has the feel of a thriller, complete with a cat-and-mouse chase as Yanky and his rascally cousin Moishe fly to Germany in pursuit.
—Rachel Syme, The New Yorker, 9 Apr. 2020
Mitch and Haylie Ferguson said the rascally rodent had somehow gotten into the fireplace, then proceeded to go on a 10-minute rampage running around the living room, news agency SWNS reports.
—Fox News, 19 Dec. 2019
Oldest sib Creighton, 32, thought back to the family’s former home, the Cleveland suburb of Rocky River, and the cops who’d bug him and his rascally brothers around town.
—Sean Gregory/bongpyeong, Time, 11 Feb. 2018
The event, which is already sold-out in the elegant waterfront Clipper Room at Hammond Marina, will include topics from the history of farming to today's gardening and wrangling with rascally rabbit populations.
—Philip Potempa, Post-Tribune, 30 Mar. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rascally
Adjective
-
Wearing a now-iconic red tie and less cartoonish design with more angular and mischievous features, DKC’s version of Kong has been a staple for over 30 years.—
Christopher Cruz,
Rolling Stone,
10 July 2025
-
Her intelligence is that vital and exacting, her wit that mischievous, her concerns – feminism, environmentalism, dystopian societies – that urgently relevant.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 July 2025
Adjective
-
Tiernan McKinney often works on guitar necks, while Kennedy himself has input along the way on design, wood type, color and the wicked inlays found from top to bottom of each piece.—
Otto Rabe,
The Enquirer,
9 July 2025
-
Zayn fought back valiantly, but was cut off in midair with a wicked Spear from Breakker.—
Alfred Konuwa,
Forbes.com,
7 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Rascally.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rascally. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.
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