Mischief, n.
Etymology: [OE. meschef bad result, OF. meschief; pref. mes- (L. minus less) + chief end, head, F. chef chief. See Minus, and Chief.]
1. Harm; damage; esp., disarrangement of order; trouble or vexation caused by human agency or by some living being, intentionally or not; often, calamity, mishap; trivial evil caused by thoughtlessness, or in sport. Chaucer. Thy tongue deviseth mischiefs. Ps. lii. 2. The practice whereof shall, I hope, secure me from many mischiefs. Fuller.
2. Cause of trouble or vexation; trouble. Milton. The mischief was, these allies would never allow that the common enemy was subdued. Swift. To be in mischief, to be doing harm or causing annoyance. -- To make mischief, to do mischief, especially by exciting quarrels. -- To play the mischief, to cause great harm; to throw into confusion. [Colloq.]
Syn. -- Damage; harm; hurt; injury; detriment; evil; ill. -- Mischief, Damage, Harm. Damage is an injury which diminishes the value of a thing; harm is an injury which causes trouble or inconvenience; mischief is an injury which disturbs the order and consistency of things. We often suffer damage or harm from accident, but mischief always springs from perversity or folly.
1 other Webster entry under this spelling
Mischief, v. t.
To do harm to. [Obs.] Milton.
Shades of meaning
Fernald has no entry of its own for mischief; he lists it under injury.
Where he writes about it:
Mischief is disarrangement, trouble, or harm usually caused by some voluntary agent, with or without injurious intent; a child's thoughtless sport may do great mischief; wrong is harm done with evil intent. — from injury