Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- adjective Of or relating to elves.
- adjective Prankish; mischievous.
from The Century Dictionary.
- Of or pertaining to elves or to elf-land; of the nature of an elf; caused by or characteristic of elves; peevish; spiteful: as, an elfish being; elfish mischief.
- Distracted or bewitched by elves; distraught or abstracted, as if bewitched.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- adjective Of or relating to the elves; elflike; implike; weird; scarcely human; mischievous, as though caused by elves.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- adjective Characteristic of an
elf - adjective
mischievous
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- adjective usually good-naturedly mischievous
Etymologies
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Examples
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Saunders took it as a compliment; and, indeed, it was done with a kind of elfish grace, which cast a glamour over his eyes.
The Lilac Sunbonnet 1887
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For "elfish" means bewitched by the elves, and hence vacant or absent in demeanour.
Chaucer Adolphus William Ward 1880
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Mitch Daniels is a short, bald, kind of elfish looking man.
mamaVISION 2009
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But there's a kind of elfish contestant who always does well despite the possibility of vanishing in a cloud of unicorn glitter were he to sing something arousing.
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But there's a kind of elfish contestant who always does well despite the possibility of vanishing in a cloud of unicorn glitter were he to sing something arousing.
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“I have come to clap you!” he exulted, his elfish frame standing barely higher than the podium.
The African in Him 2009
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As I got out of the van, the elfish old fellow whom I now realized was not there to pump my gas, asked if I was headed east.
The Ballad Of Sideshow Sam & The Heckler sean m. poole 2011
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Their Chipmunk-cute characterizations are exceptionally well done: Malone's elfish Suzy, Jackson's hard-nosed Betty Jean, Cotton's geeky Missy, and Taylor's smoldering, snooty Cindy Lou.
James Scarborough: Winter Wonderettes: Musical Theatre West James Scarborough 2011
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In addition to these — and they were all on deck, chattering and piping in queer, almost elfish, falsetto voices — were the two white men, Captain
CHAPTER II 2010
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“I have come to clap you!” he exulted, his elfish frame standing barely higher than the podium.
The African in Him 2009
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