monkeyishness
Definition
Noun: The quality or state of being like a monkey; playful, mischievous, or imitative behaviour, often characterized by mimicry or foolish antics.
Usage Examples
- (Their playful, imitative behaviour was clear.)
- (His mischievous, monkey-like antics irritated others.)
- (His imitative behaviour was considered a humorous imitation.)
Advanced Usage
"to display monkeyishness": to show playful or mischievous behaviour.
- The puppy’s monkeyishness made it climb onto the table. (The puppy’s playful, monkey-like behaviour caused it to climb up.)
"to indulge in monkeyishness": to engage in silly or imitative actions.
- During the break, the students indulged in monkeyishness, copying each other’s accents. (They engaged in playful mimicry.)
Variants and Related Words
Monkeyish (adj): resembling a monkey in behaviour or appearance; playful or mischievous.
- His monkeyish grin revealed his playful intent. (His grin was like that of a monkey, showing mischief.)
Monkey (n): a small, agile primate; also, a person who behaves in a mischievous or imitative way.
- He’s such a monkey — always playing tricks. (He is a mischievous person.)
Synonyms
- Mischievousness: a tendency to cause playful trouble.
- Playfulness: a fondness for fun and games.
- Mimicry: the action of imitating someone or something.
Related Idioms
Monkey around: to behave in a silly or playful way.
- Stop monkeying around and get to work! (Stop being playful and start working.)
Monkey see, monkey do: used to describe the tendency to imitate others without thought.
- The children copied their older brother’s dance — monkey see, monkey do. (They imitated him without thinking.)