Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

thievish

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.01 in modern English

Syllables: thievish
IPA

17

Scrabble Score

8

Letters

1

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Having a tendency to steal.

adj

Having the manner of a thief; furtive; stealthy.

Example Sentences

"I tel you true my hart is ſwolne with wrath, On this ſame theeuish villain Tamburlain. And of that false Coſroe, my traiterous brother, Would it not grieue a King to be so abuſ’d? And haue a thouſand horſmen tane away?"
"What, wouldst thou have me go and beg my food, Or with a base and boist'rous sword enforce A thievish living on the common road?"

Etymology

From Middle English thevysch, equivalent to thief + -ish. Cognate with Saterland Frisian däifsk (“thievish”), Dutch diefs (“thievish”), German Low German deevsk (“thievish”), German diebisch (“thievish”).

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: thevysch
Suffix: thief

Inflected Forms

more thievish (comparative) most thievish (superlative)

Derived Forms

thievishly thievishness

Synonyms

thieving

Questions

What does thievish mean?: Having a tendency to steal.
Where does thievish come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce thievish

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “thievish”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “thievish”.
Repeat and practice — Say “thievish” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.