Synonyms of shenanigan

shenanigan

noun

shə-ˈna-ni-gən 

1

as in mischief

usually shenanigans plural playful, reckless behavior that is not intended to cause serious harm

students engaging in youthful shenanigans on the last day of school

Synonyms & Similar Words

• mischief
• misconduct
• devilment
• playfulness
• mischievousness
• rascality
• roguishness
• devilry
• knavery
• wickedness
• devilishness
• roguery
• waggishness
• irritation
• impishness
• exasperation
• waggery
• hob
• diablerie
• misbehavior
• tomfoolery
• buffoonery
• espièglerie
• trickery
• troublemaking
• chicanery
• naughtiness
• hanky-panky
• goings-on
• caper
• friskiness
• annoyance
• trick
• horseplay
• monkeying
• high jinks
• skylarking
• sportiveness
• antic
• practical joke
• diabolicalness
• roughhousing
• monkey business
• aggravation
• monkeyshine(s)
• dido

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• gravity
• seriousness
• solemnity
• gravitas
• solemnness

2

as in joking

usually shenanigans plural wildly playful or mischievous behavior

an act of vandalism that went way beyond the usual shenanigans at summer camp

Synonyms & Similar Words

• joking
• tomfoolery
• funning
• buffoonery
• clowning
• horseplay
• monkeying
• clownery
• foolery
• mischief
• high jinks
• skylarking
• roughhousing
• roughhouse
• slapstick
• playfulness
• monkey business
• nonsense
• horsing around
• sporting
• monkeyshine(s)
• trickery
• jesting
• childishness
• rowdiness
• silliness
• rowdyism
• foolishness
• rascality
• clownishness
• boisterousness
• rambunctiousness
• roguishness
• merrymaking
• frivolity
• revelry
• mischievousness
• devilry
• knavery
• prankishness
• frolicking
• roguery
• roistering
• waggery
• rumbustiousness
• romping
• cavorting
• impishness
• sportiveness
• gamboling

3

as in ruse

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• ruse
• scheme
• trick
• device
• stratagem
• ploy
• gambit
• jig
• flimflam
• fetch
• sleight of hand
• gimmick
• dodge
• knack
• sleight
• bluff
• wile
• deception
• trickery
• subterfuge
• hoax
• play
• chicanery
• juggle
• artifice
• cunning
• skulduggery
• duplicity
• cheating
• swindling
• feint
• fakery
• legerdemain
• end run
• swindle
• fraud
• jugglery
• sham
• gaff
• cozenage
• crookery
• dupery
• blind
• craft
• smoke screen
• front

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of shenanigan

Clearly their support worked as the streamer confirmed Hardy’s da Souza is back for more shenanigans in Season 3. — K.j. Yossman, Variety, 3 Sep. 2026

The shenanigans with Leonard and Uncle Dennis just cost them an additional five firsts. — John Hollinger, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026

Pushing it into hard motocross-style shenanigans will knock that time down considerably, of course. — New Atlas, 2 Sep. 2026

Another stunning composite view of last night's lunar shenanigans was taken by Kohinoor Kar, who documented the transformation of the lunar disk from full Sturgeon Moon to an eclipsed near-blood moon from Phoenix, Arizona. — Anthony Wood, Space.com, 28 Aug. 2026

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