Thesaurus
shenanigan
shenanigan
noun
Definition of SHENANIGAN
1
usually shenanigans pl playful, reckless behavior that is not intended to cause serious harm <students engaging in youthful shenanigans on the last day of school>
Synonyms devilishness, devilment, devilry (or deviltry), diablerie, espièglerie, hob, impishness, knavery, mischievousness, rascality, roguery, roguishness, shenanigan(s), waggery, waggishness, wickedness
Related Words diabolicalness, misbehavior, misconduct, naughtiness, troublemaking; buffoonery, friskiness, playfulness, sportiveness; chicanery, trickery; goings-on, hanky-panky, high jinks (also hijinks), monkey business, monkeying, monkeyshine(s), skylarking, tomfoolery; horseplay, roughhousing; antic, caper, dido, practical joke, trick; aggravation, annoyance, exasperation, irritation
2
usually shenanigans pl wildly playful or mischievous behavior <an act of vandalism that went way beyond the usual shenanigans at summer camp>
Synonyms buffoonery, clownery, clowning, foolery, high jinks (also hijinks), horsing around, monkey business, monkeying, monkeyshine(s), roughhouse, roughhousing, shenanigan(s), skylarking, slapstick, tomfoolery
Related Words childishness, clownishness, foolishness, funning, jesting, joking, nonsense, silliness, waggery; boisterousness, rambunctiousness, rowdiness, rowdyism, rumbustiousness [chiefly British]; devilry (or deviltry), impishness, knavery, mischief, mischievousness, prankishness, rascality, roguery, roguishness, trickery; cavorting, frivolity, frolicking, gamboling (or gambolling), merrymaking, playfulness, revelry, roistering, romping, sporting, sportiveness
3
a clever often underhanded means to achieve an end <the street-corner huckster of pirated DVDs had all sorts of shenanigans to keep the cops off of his tail>
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