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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Recent Examples of shenanigans
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
In ‘Kansas City,’ Altman shot an entire concert in this club and then edited it into the flow of the film, where the musicians are providing a Greek chorus to all the shenanigans that are going on with the white characters.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 24 Mar. 2026
That’s the consensus opinion of fans and participants alike to the promotional shenanigans ahead of this weekend’s Fanatics Flag Football Classic at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles and next month’s WWE WrestleMania 42 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
—Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2026
And that dude was always up to some weird shenanigans.
—Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 20 Mar. 2026
The incident comes as authorities throughout the Sunshine State are cracking down on spring break shenanigans as college students descend on beaches up and down the coast.
—Julia Bonavita, FOXNews.com, 19 Mar. 2026
Then there’s the sweetness underneath all the temporal shenanigans and graphically bloody shootouts.
—Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 15 Mar. 2026
There were a lot of shenanigans going on back at new Vatu after the tribe lost the immunity contest.
—Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 12 Mar. 2026
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
In ‘Kansas City,’ Altman shot an entire concert in this club and then edited it into the flow of the film, where the musicians are providing a Greek chorus to all the shenanigans that are going on with the white characters.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 24 Mar. 2026
That’s the consensus opinion of fans and participants alike to the promotional shenanigans ahead of this weekend’s Fanatics Flag Football Classic at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles and next month’s WWE WrestleMania 42 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
—Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2026
And that dude was always up to some weird shenanigans.
—Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 20 Mar. 2026
The incident comes as authorities throughout the Sunshine State are cracking down on spring break shenanigans as college students descend on beaches up and down the coast.
—Julia Bonavita, FOXNews.com, 19 Mar. 2026
Then there’s the sweetness underneath all the temporal shenanigans and graphically bloody shootouts.
—Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 15 Mar. 2026
There were a lot of shenanigans going on back at new Vatu after the tribe lost the immunity contest.
—Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 12 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shenanigans
Noun
-
The La Costa Canyon High School Theatre Department invites the community to an evening of laughter, music, and medieval mischief with this year’s spring musical Monty Python’s Spamalot.—
News Release,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
28 Mar. 2026
-
His old partner in mischief Charles Steinmuller floated somewhere between exciting and scary.—
Eric Boodman,
Vulture,
25 Mar. 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
-
The costs of decades of misconduct by Chicago police have grown enormous as the city settles lawsuit after lawsuit using expensive private counsel to handle most of the work.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Mar. 2026
-
And of course, Andrew being stripped of his titles and evicted from Royal Lodge, only to then be arrested for suspicion of misconduct in public office.—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
30 Mar. 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
-
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
Noun
-
As in past years, the festival will feature independent artists and companies presenting new and experimental theater, dance, clowning, music and more.—
Pam Kragen,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
15 Mar. 2026
-
Yes, this is the modern clowning that all the thinkpieces are thinking about.—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
1 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
More horseplay: Saturday brings the 75th running of the Curlin Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, a chance to watch horses that will soon run in the Kentucky Derby, but also an excuse for locals to dress up with outfits topped by a hat or fascinator.—
Ben Crandell,
Sun Sentinel,
25 Mar. 2026
-
Those dousings also prompted outrage from police leaders — who decried it as an inexcusable sign of disrespect, and even suggested that officers willing to walk away from that kind of horseplay should consider another line of work.—
Anthony Izaguirre,
Fortune,
26 Feb. 2026
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 1 Apr. 2026.
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