thievish

T1H4I1E1V4I1S1H4

adjective

Having a tendency to steal.

Similar
thievingdishonestdishonorable
OriginMiddle English thevysch →
Scrabble 17
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Meanings

adjectivethievish (comparative more thievish, superlative most thievish)

comparative more thievish · superlative most thievish

  1. Having a tendency to steal.

    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?

    c. 1587–1588 (date written), [Christopher Marlowe], Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […], 2nd edition, part 1, London: […] [R. Robinson for] Richard Iones, […], published 1592, →OCLC; reprinted as Tamburlaine the Great (A Scolar Press Facsimile), Menston, Yorkshire; London: Scolar Press, 1973, →ISBN, Act II, scene ii
  2. Having the manner of a thief; furtive; stealthy.

    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?

    c. 1598–1600 (date written), William Shakespeare, “As You Like It”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene iii], lines 675-77

Synonyms & antonyms

adjectivegiven to thievery

Similar
thievingdishonestdishonorable
Also see
furtivelight-fingeredthieving

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Middle Englishthevysch
  2. Englishthievish

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”).

More words from Middle English

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian крадлив
  • крадлив (kradliv)Having a tendency to steal
Danish tyvagtig
  • tyvagtigHaving a tendency to steal
Esperanto ŝtelema, rabema
  • ŝtelemaHaving a tendency to steal
  • rabemaHaving a tendency to steal
German diebisch
  • diebischHaving a tendency to steal
Italian furtivo
  • furtivoHaving a tendency to steal
Latin fūrax, tagax
  • fūraxHaving a tendency to steal
  • tagaxHaving a tendency to steal
Norwegian Bokmål tyvaktig
  • tyvaktigHaving a tendency to steal
Polish złodziejski
  • złodziejskiHaving a tendency to steal
Russian ворова́тый
  • ворова́тый (vorovátyj)Having a tendency to steal
Swedish tjuvaktig
  • tjuvaktigHaving a tendency to steal
Turkish eli uzun
  • eli uzunHaving a tendency to steal
Ukrainian злодійкува́тий
  • злодійкува́тий (zlodijkuvátyj)Having a tendency to steal
Cite this entry
APA

thievish. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/thievish

MLA

“thievish.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/thievish. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “thievish,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/thievish.

Source: thievish on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.