Maleficence vs. Mischief

Maleficencenoun

harmfulness or mischief

Mischiefnoun

(uncountable) Conduct that playfully causes petty annoyance.

‘Drink led to mischief.’;

Maleficencenoun

Evil doing, esp. to others.

Mischiefnoun

(countable) A playfully annoying action.

‘John's mischief, tying his shoelaces together, irked George at first.’;

Maleficencenoun

doing or causing evil

Mischiefnoun

(collective) A group or a pack of rats.

Maleficencenoun

the quality or nature of being harmful or evil

Mischiefnoun

(archaic) Harm or injury:

Mischiefnoun

(uncountable) Harm or trouble caused by an agent or brought about by a particular cause.

‘She had mischief in her heart.’; ‘Sooner or later he'll succeed in doing some serious mischief.’;

Mischiefnoun

(countable) An injury or an instance of harm or trouble caused by a person or other agent or cause.

‘It may end in her doing a great mischief to herself—and perhaps to others too.’;

Mischiefnoun

A cause or agent of annoyance, harm or injury, especially a person who causes mischief.

Mischiefnoun

(euphemism) The Devil; used as an expletive.

Mischiefnoun

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.

‘Thy tongue deviseth mischiefs.’; ‘The practice whereof shall, I hope, secure me from many mischiefs.’;

Mischiefnoun

Cause of trouble or vexation; trouble.

‘The mischief was, these allies would never allow that the common enemy was subdued.’;

Mischiefverb

To do harm to.

Mischiefnoun

reckless or malicious behavior that causes discomfort or annoyance in others

Mischiefnoun

the quality or nature of being harmful or evil

Mischief

Mischief or malicious mischief is the specific name for different criminal offenses in a number of different jurisdictions. While the wrongful acts will often involve what is popularly described as vandalism, there can be a legal differentiation between the two.