1
as in mischief
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 tomfoolery
wildly playful or mischievous behavior
an act of vandalism that went way beyond the usual shenanigans at summer camp
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Recent Examples of shenanigans
The next six weeks will be both challenging and fun thanks to team shenanigans.
—
Stan Son, New York Times, 19 Feb. 2026
Some shenanigans may have gone too far.
—Arkansas Online, 17 Feb. 2026
The political firebrand has been vocal about his opposition to government shenanigans for more than half a century.
—Erik Pedersen, Deadline, 17 Feb. 2026
In Palm Beach County, Republicans sought to mobilize opposition to the devices in 2024, and citing unverified claims of potential election shenanigans, sought to convince people not to use them.
—Anthony Man, Sun Sentinel, 15 Feb. 2026
There have been all sorts of concerns for a while, including shenanigans around using metrics from SaaS to apply to AI-native companies (that logic is specious at best).
—Allie Garfinkle, Fortune, 13 Feb. 2026
Pools, trails, nine-hole putting, a pond (essential for childhood shenanigans), and nightly s’mores by the firepit.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 Feb. 2026
Seven minutes later, Konnor Smith, Judd Caulfield and Sasha Pastujov took turns in the penalty box for their own physical shenanigans.
—Ivan Carter, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Feb. 2026
As a former federal prosecutor in the Southern District of New York who lived through the Watergate era, Nixon’s shenanigans appear as normal as apple pie.
—James D. Zirin, Washington Post, 3 Feb. 2026
Stan Son, New York Times, 19 Feb. 2026
Some shenanigans may have gone too far.
—Arkansas Online, 17 Feb. 2026
The political firebrand has been vocal about his opposition to government shenanigans for more than half a century.
—Erik Pedersen, Deadline, 17 Feb. 2026
In Palm Beach County, Republicans sought to mobilize opposition to the devices in 2024, and citing unverified claims of potential election shenanigans, sought to convince people not to use them.
—Anthony Man, Sun Sentinel, 15 Feb. 2026
There have been all sorts of concerns for a while, including shenanigans around using metrics from SaaS to apply to AI-native companies (that logic is specious at best).
—Allie Garfinkle, Fortune, 13 Feb. 2026
Pools, trails, nine-hole putting, a pond (essential for childhood shenanigans), and nightly s’mores by the firepit.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 Feb. 2026
Seven minutes later, Konnor Smith, Judd Caulfield and Sasha Pastujov took turns in the penalty box for their own physical shenanigans.
—Ivan Carter, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Feb. 2026
As a former federal prosecutor in the Southern District of New York who lived through the Watergate era, Nixon’s shenanigans appear as normal as apple pie.
—James D. Zirin, Washington Post, 3 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shenanigans
Noun
-
The heady sensuality of Aїnouz’s best films (Invisible Life, Madame Satã) is somewhat smothered by the cold cerebral mischief of Filippou’s writing.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
14 Feb. 2026
-
And what good mischief doesn't begin with a little sinful bite?—
Mary Catherine McAnnally Scott,
Southern Living,
14 Feb. 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
-
Sappenfield was permanently banned by the United States Center for SafeSport in May 2024 for physical and emotional misconduct, retaliation, abuse of process, and failure to report a potential SafeSport violation.—
Scott M. Reid,
Oc Register,
16 Feb. 2026
-
Sought book on prosecutorial misconduct In the bulk of his conversations, Nathan detailed the misery of jail life.—
Grethel Aguila,
Miami Herald,
15 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Written in a joking and contemptuous tone, the tweet would take on an indescribably morbid weight just five days later, when, at the behest of Governor Cláudio Castro, the Rio de Janeiro police carried out the deadliest massacre in the country’s history.—
Evandro Cruz Silva,
The Dial,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Cole follows up with a joking request to appear on an interlude on the forthcoming project, then asks whether West could send him a care package of clothes — which West agrees to — before exiting the stage.—
Jessica Lynch,
Billboard,
28 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
Death by Lightning, adapted by Mike Makowsky from Candice Millard’s 2011 nonfiction book and directed by Matt Ross, hums with the strength of these performances, particularly Shannon’s quiet composure and Macfadyen mining new depths of buffoonery.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
1 Dec. 2025
-
North Coast Rep will present a show Dec. 11-Dec. 14 with bubbling energy and comedic buffoonery in the British Pantomime version of The Adventures of Robin Hood as its next student production.—
News Release,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
20 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
The balance is also what clowning is.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
16 Feb. 2026
-
There’s no grandstanding, no frantic clowning.—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Yet this is truly an ensemble show, in which each performer has multiple opportunities to shine, executing some splendidly silly bits together, such as delivering CPR to a sandwich or convincingly channeling their inner tots during some post-bedtime horseplay.—
Rob Hubbard,
Twin Cities,
1 Feb. 2026
-
There was reportedly no horseplay or swerving during the ride, according to 9News.—
Jessica Sager,
PEOPLE,
22 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
The boys challenge each other to throw heavy objects, which leads to intense roughhousing.—
Carlos Aguilar,
Variety,
27 Jan. 2026
-
The actor shared rare photos of the teen with his younger siblings, getting it in at the gym, hiking, and roughhousing.—
Elizabeth Ayoola,
Essence,
10 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Shenanigans.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shenanigans. Accessed 22 Feb. 2026.
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