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 hijinks
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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of shenanigan
For now, this is just…goof-around shenanigans with Vader who is probably going to just make people laugh 99% of the time, ignoring all these other issues.
—
Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 16 May 2025
Assorted shenanigans ensue involving Italian mob families, shady relatives, bloody murders and cold martinis.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 10 May 2025
But the texting and blocking, the free-for-all backwaters of the internet and the carnal shenanigans that color contemporary TV teendom do put a different complexion on growing up.
—Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 8 May 2025
Lander announced that due to technical difficulties and illness, the audience would have to wait a few days to see what shenanigans Barb got up to, and whether this birth would help her and her son, Jennifer’s brother John, smooth over their rocky relationship.
—Alissa Wilkinson, New York Times, 4 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for shenanigan
Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 16 May 2025
Assorted shenanigans ensue involving Italian mob families, shady relatives, bloody murders and cold martinis.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 10 May 2025
But the texting and blocking, the free-for-all backwaters of the internet and the carnal shenanigans that color contemporary TV teendom do put a different complexion on growing up.
—Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 8 May 2025
Lander announced that due to technical difficulties and illness, the audience would have to wait a few days to see what shenanigans Barb got up to, and whether this birth would help her and her son, Jennifer’s brother John, smooth over their rocky relationship.
—Alissa Wilkinson, New York Times, 4 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for shenanigan
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shenanigan
Noun
-
Roberts, who often looked to me like an English schoolboy—rumpled shirt, rep tie—had worked with Tina to transform the British magazine Tatler from a staid society rag into a place of mischief.—
Hilton Als,
New Yorker,
2 June 2025
-
Kia has been charged with third-degree arson, second-degree criminal mischief and animal torture, police said.—
Nicole Acosta,
People.com,
29 May 2025
Noun
-
The Republicans’ billionaire populism has always been a ruse.—
Jim Miller,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
5 June 2025
-
For the artist Christina Ramberg, watching her mother getting dressed for parties—in particular, putting on a corset called a merry widow, which gave her an hourglass figure—revealed the extent to which the female form was a ruse.—
Jane Yong Kim,
The Atlantic,
30 May 2025
Noun
-
Because an employee is not eligible for unemployment benefits if the person was fired for misconduct, Wisconsin doesn’t want to have to decide the legitimacy of a firing that was based on matters of religious faith and doctrine.—
Maureen Groppe,
USA Today,
6 June 2025
-
Critics have accused deputy cliques of engaging in brawls and other misconduct.—
Connor Sheets,
Los Angeles Times,
6 June 2025
Noun
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At the end of February, a pedestrian was hit in West London by an ebike rider in West London — not a rental or sharing scheme, to be clear — and died after a month in hospital.—
Nicole Kobie,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2025
-
This scheme netted Smith over $10 million in royalties before he was caught.—
Tyler Hicks,
Rolling Stone,
5 June 2025
Noun
-
Another aspect to note is that the AI didn’t ridicule me or otherwise play any tomfoolery about my need for assistance.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
17 May 2025
-
Would that all life could be filled with such tomfoolery.—
Graeme Wood,
The Atlantic,
9 May 2025
Noun
-
However, there is a trick for using both of these operations together.—
Paul Smith-Goodson,
Forbes.com,
10 June 2025
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Or is that all part of a deeper trick, a wilder swing?—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
9 June 2025
Noun
-
The other person who spoke in South Carolina, Tim Walz, is a special mixture of extreme buffoonery and a mean spirit, which is a toxic brew.—
Jenny Goldsberry,
The Washington Examiner,
1 June 2025
-
Certainly hope none of you will be complicit in this buffoonery.—
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
23 May 2025
Noun
-
The action anime feature for everyone who couldn’t get enough of the horseplay in The Two Towers has finally cantered onto Max.—
Savannah Salazar,
Vulture,
1 Mar. 2025
-
Mike Vrabel’s back And the horseplay is going to stop, apparently.—
Josh Kendall,
The Athletic,
11 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Shenanigan.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shenanigan. Accessed 17 Jun. 2025.
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