impishly
gb/ɪmpɪʃli/ us/ɪmpɪʃli/
C1
English
huncutul, pajkosan, manósan
C1
1
Usage pattern:
[someone] [does something] impishly
She smiled impishly and hid the cookies behind her back.
Huncutul elmosolyodott, és a háta mögé rejtette a sütiket.
He looked at me impishly and pretended he hadn’t heard the question.
Huncutul rám nézett, és úgy tett, mintha nem hallotta volna a kérdést.
‘Maybe I did,’ she said impishly, refusing to explain.
Learner examples
The child grinned impishly.
A gyerek huncutul vigyorgott.
He winked impishly at his friend.
Huncutul rákacsintott a barátjára.
Common mistake:
Don’t use it for serious wrongdoing; it usually suggests harmless, playful mischief.
Meaning
in a playful, mischievous way
Collocations
smile impishly
|grin impishly
|look impishly
|wink impishly
|say impishly
|laugh impishly
|raise an eyebrow impishly
|tilt (your) head impishly
|beam impishly
|glance impishly
Synonyms
mischievously (More general; can be less charming and more troublesome.)
|
cheekily (Emphasizes rude-but-playful boldness toward others.)
|
playfully (Broader and softer; may lack the ‘naughty’ edge.)
|
roguishly (Suggests a charming troublemaker, often with confidence.)
|
teasingly (Focuses on light teasing of someone rather than mischief in general.)
Antonyms
solemnly (In a serious, dignified way with no playfulness.)
|
earnestly (With sincere seriousness rather than teasing humor.)
|
gravely (In a serious way, often about something important or sad.)
Themes
behavior
|emotions
|social_interaction
|personality
Definition
In a playful and slightly naughty way.
In a mischievous and teasing way that is meant to be charming or humorous rather than seriously harmful.
C2
LITERARY
2
manósan
B2
Usage pattern:
[something] [appears/acts] impishly
The firelight flickered impishly across the cave walls.
A tűzfény manósan táncolt végig a barlang falain.
In the story, the creature laughed impishly as it vanished into the trees.
A történetben a lény manósan kacagott, miközben eltűnt a fák között.
Meaning
in a devilish, imp-like way
Collocations
cackle impishly
|dance impishly
|flicker impishly
|appear impishly
|skitter impishly
Synonyms
devilishly (Stronger and darker; can suggest temptation or wickedness more than play.)
|
pixieishly (More magical and light; less ‘devilish’ in tone.)
Antonyms
angelically (In a pure, innocent, or saintly way.)
Themes
literature
|humor
|mythology
Definition
In a way that feels like a little devil or spirit.
In a way that suggests the small, devilish character of an imp, often used for humorous or literary effect.
Grammar
Dictionary form
impishly
IPA
GB/ɪmpɪʃli/
US/ɪmpɪʃli/
Syllables & stress
imp - ishly (2 syllables)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: impishly
- Plural: impishlies
Word family
Expressions
No expressions linked to this entry yet.