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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
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
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of shenanigan
There may be some debates, election posturing and shenanigans along the way.
—
Staff Reports, AJC.com, 2 Apr. 2026
Some companies have discovered their innocent shenanigans failed to delight audiences and instead tarnished their brands.
—John Tufts, IndyStar, 1 Apr. 2026
All kitchen shenanigans aside, the resulting dish is an Instagram-worthy feast.
—Anna Grace Lee, Vogue, 27 Mar. 2026
Time-travel shenanigans wouldn’t work in just any gangster movie.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 25 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for shenanigan
Staff Reports, AJC.com, 2 Apr. 2026
Some companies have discovered their innocent shenanigans failed to delight audiences and instead tarnished their brands.
—John Tufts, IndyStar, 1 Apr. 2026
All kitchen shenanigans aside, the resulting dish is an Instagram-worthy feast.
—Anna Grace Lee, Vogue, 27 Mar. 2026
Time-travel shenanigans wouldn’t work in just any gangster movie.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 25 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for shenanigan
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shenanigan
Noun
-
Loki Loki is the Norse god of mischief and he’s known as a trickster—sometimes for good, sometimes a bit more devious.—
Kara Nesvig,
Parents,
11 Apr. 2026
-
Following the 2023 arrest, Paul was given misdemeanor charges of assault, criminal mischief and commission of domestic violence in the presence of a child.—
Tabitha Parent,
PEOPLE,
10 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
There was none of the usual laughing and joking.—
Mario Cortegana,
New York Times,
20 Mar. 2026
-
Lindsay says that Jesse was serious about asking, but that the make-out would be a joking make-out.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
4 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Carreyrou acknowledged an obvious objection to this thesis—that there is a lengthy paper trail of Back corresponding with Satoshi—but explains it away by saying that Back was actually writing to himself as part of an elaborate ruse to throw would-be unmaskers off the trail.—
Jeff John Roberts,
Fortune,
8 Apr. 2026
-
By the finale, the ruse is revealed, and the star walks away with prize money and a behind-the-scenes tour of The Truman Show–esque operation.—
Angelina Mazza,
Vulture,
7 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Ortega said she was motivated to introduce AB 2321 because of what the auditor reported about Cal-OSHA’s Bureau of Investigation, the unit responsible for investigating death and career-ending injuries for criminal misconduct.—
Joe Rubin,
Sacbee.com,
6 Apr. 2026
-
The news that someone was seen with him has, of course, been received with a lot of interest, particularly considering that since his arrest for suspicion of misconduct in public office, neither his ex, Sarah Ferguson, nor his daughters, Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice, have visited him.—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
6 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The Jazz are 15-35, which puts them at the sixth pick if zero lottery-ball tomfoolery happens.—
Zach Harper,
New York Times,
3 Feb. 2026
-
But enough of all that tomfoolery, because there is one person on the beach who knows exactly what is about to happen!—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
6 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
In the meantime, Vx Underground says the malware used in the attack shares a command-and-control server with another scheme spotted last month involving a look-alike FileZilla site hosting a Trojanized copy of the software.—
Michael Kan,
PC Magazine,
10 Apr. 2026
-
During the hearing, Hamdan admitted to creating and operating a scheme to submit false and fraudulent claims for prescription drugs.—
Paula Wethington,
CBS News,
10 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Supernova the Strongwoman will dazzle the crowd with risky tricks and demolition.—
Jaclyn Cosgrove,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Apr. 2026
-
CEOs who have climbed to the top of their industries have an eagle eye for talent who drive success—and many have developed their own tricks to find the right hires.—
Emma Burleigh,
Fortune,
10 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The show, with its interest in corporate buffoonery, doesn’t quite manage to hand-wave away the queasy implications.—
Inkoo Kang,
New Yorker,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Receivers have cratered seasons with me-over-we buffoonery.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
19 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shenanigan.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shenanigan. Accessed 14 Apr. 2026.
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