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

The caveat is that while the V8s in these pickups are built for towing, off-road shenanigans, and long road trips, the LS6 in Chevy's sports car was tuned with the racetrack and canyon carving in mind. — New Atlas, 25 Sep. 2026

The nearly dialogue-free shenanigans hark back to slapstick comedians like Harold Lloyd and Buster Keaton, making the often hilariously violent encounters between these two characters feel at once fresh and classical. — Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Sep. 2026

Once the first-half shenanigans subside and both teams settle in, the better one will emerge victorious at The Booth. — Pj Green september 8, Kansas City Star, 8 Sep. 2026

But tighter scripting and less mayhem would have helped make his message heard, instead of diluting it with too many shenanigans. — Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 7 Sep. 2026

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