as in funning
wildly playful or mischievous behavior
all that monkeying was sure to end in someone or something getting hurt
Synonyms & Similar Words
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as in ornery
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for monkeying
Adjective
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At 0-2, the Chiefs may be a little more ornery than usual.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
22 Sep. 2025 -
The goal is to capitalize on the holidays when kids will be out of school and eager to see some ornery avians.—
Brent Lang,
Variety,
18 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Critics accused him of aping Farage’s rhetoric and warned that Labour could lose votes to the left in trying to court the right.—
Christian Edwards,
CNN Money,
30 Sep. 2025
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Ryback shows the younger man's relaxation-as-growth around impressive set pieces, including a segment of aping famed concert pianists Alfred Brendel and Glenn Gould as well as Hoffman's blistering rant after a visit to Dachau.—
Jim Higgins,
jsonline.com,
22 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Self was in a joking mood when asked about the squad’s stellar defensive play.—
Gary Bedore,
Kansas City Star,
29 Oct. 2025
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Jones eventually got into his joking bag, and Bleek took that opportunity to seriously set the record straight one last time.—
Armon Sadler,
VIBE.com,
15 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Autumn Springs is populated by finely wrought individuals, led by the indomitable Rose and her roguish friend Miller.—
Neil McRobert,
Vulture,
16 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Funyyzo Wide-Leg Pants Inspired by Kelly Clarkson Or, consider copying Clarkson’s red-hot look with these vibrant pants that have amassed more than 5,100 perfect ratings.—
Averi Baudler,
PEOPLE,
21 Oct. 2025
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Marasco has accused Swift and her co-defendants of copying her poetry in lyrics and visuals from multiple albums, including , , and .—
Jenna Sundel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Finally, after plenty of clowning, Taylor Swift has revealed that her 12th album is on the way, titled The Life of a Showgirl.—
Tom Smyth,
Vulture,
13 Aug. 2025
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This is a work in which the slapstick clowning and the tricky verbal non sequiturs should be merely the surface for roiling undercurrents of anguish, futility, despair and fear.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
3 Sep. 2019
Adjective
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If a rascally possum does become a problem, here's how to get rid of it and keep that opossum away.—
Arricca Elin SanSone,
Southern Living,
6 Aug. 2025
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In 1950, scientists deployed a virus called Myxoma to destroy the rascally rabbits.—
Bethany Brookshire,
Smithsonian Magazine,
8 Dec. 2022
Verb
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Join me in mimicking Markle’s smart layering trick by shopping for similar tops, sweaters, hats, and jeans.—
Izzy Baskette,
PEOPLE,
31 Oct. 2025
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Performing stand-up since the age of 15, Nasso first discovered his knack for impressions while mimicking SpongeBob and Shrek characters as a mustachioed, 160-pound 10-year-old boy.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
29 Oct. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Monkeying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/monkeying. Accessed 3 Nov. 2025.
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