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
Check back for morning-after recaps of weekday episodes and a Monday roundup of the weekend’s shenanigans.
—
Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 10 June 2026
More shenanigans were provided at the next World Cup in Spain.
—Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 8 June 2026
Most spectators who truly knew the personnel understood that Utah had to pull some real shenanigans to tank properly.
—Tony Jones, New York Times, 2 June 2026
In this way, First Light reminds me of GoldenEye, a game that injected Bond shenanigans into a shooter.
—Jordan Minor, PC Magazine, 1 June 2026
Subway shenanigans continued in South Brooklyn Sunday, with officials seeking two youths caught having snuck into the subterranean Church Ave.
—Evan Simko-Bednarski, New York Daily News, 1 June 2026
If governments require airlines to offer a cash refund and only give vouchers on request, that would stop some (but not all) of the shenanigans.
—Christopher Elliott, USA Today, 24 May 2026
At first, Tyson couldn't recall any shenanigans, but Von's team had done its deep research on Iron Mike and knew there was a Brad Pitt connection.
—Joe Kinsey Outkick, FOXNews.com, 18 May 2026
Another issue involves the fictional movie being shot, which is called Desert and seems to be about the perils of Spanish colonialism, yet remains disconnected to all the shenanigans going on behind the scenes.
—Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 16 May 2026
Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 10 June 2026
More shenanigans were provided at the next World Cup in Spain.
—Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 8 June 2026
Most spectators who truly knew the personnel understood that Utah had to pull some real shenanigans to tank properly.
—Tony Jones, New York Times, 2 June 2026
In this way, First Light reminds me of GoldenEye, a game that injected Bond shenanigans into a shooter.
—Jordan Minor, PC Magazine, 1 June 2026
Subway shenanigans continued in South Brooklyn Sunday, with officials seeking two youths caught having snuck into the subterranean Church Ave.
—Evan Simko-Bednarski, New York Daily News, 1 June 2026
If governments require airlines to offer a cash refund and only give vouchers on request, that would stop some (but not all) of the shenanigans.
—Christopher Elliott, USA Today, 24 May 2026
At first, Tyson couldn't recall any shenanigans, but Von's team had done its deep research on Iron Mike and knew there was a Brad Pitt connection.
—Joe Kinsey Outkick, FOXNews.com, 18 May 2026
Another issue involves the fictional movie being shot, which is called Desert and seems to be about the perils of Spanish colonialism, yet remains disconnected to all the shenanigans going on behind the scenes.
—Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 16 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shenanigans
Noun
-
His girlfriend was arrested on suspicion of misdemeanor domestic violence and petty criminal mischief.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
12 June 2026
-
Cooper and his girlfriend were both arrested on domestic violence charges last Friday, with both being held on suspicion of two counts of domestic violence and one count of criminal mischief, according to Douglas County jail records.—
Ryan Morik,
FOXNews.com,
12 June 2026
Noun
-
The latest tomfoolery consisted of a posting on Twitter/X last week that provided a picture of a genuine Monet painting, and the picture was labeled as supposedly being AI-generated.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
20 May 2026
-
Warm temperatures should keep the snow from causing too much traffic tomfoolery on Tuesday, but by the evening, roads are likely to turn slick, Danielson said.—
Lauren Penington,
Denver Post,
4 May 2026
Noun
-
No misconduct was issued to inmates during the incident in question, and no inmate faced discipline for refusing the assignment, the agency added.—
Paula Wethington,
CBS News,
8 June 2026
-
Even without independent investigative authority, the commission has spent the past few years reviewing a backlog of internal affairs cases, commissioning an outside audit of police misconduct investigations and weighing in on department policies.—
Kelly Davis,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 June 2026
Noun
-
Sometimes a playful comment, an unexpected reply or a joking callout between brands takes on a life of its own online.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
20 May 2026
-
Despite that underlying tension, kids play on the street outside while the large family has a dynamic like any other — noisily squabbling, joking, or in the case of the matriarchal grandmother, Mariam (Hiam Abbass), preparing a meal in a kitchen plagued by constant utility outages.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
15 May 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
-
The clowning might be a little too effortful.—
Theater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
13 May 2026
-
As the race unfolds in real time, there’s clowning, collisions, sabotage, surprises, comedy, chaos and more.—
Pam Kragen,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
13 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
After France’s 4-3 victory against Argentina at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, horseplay between the players at the team hotel culminated in back-up centre-back Adil Rami setting off a fire extinguisher in the early hours of the morning.—
Tom Williams,
New York Times,
17 May 2026
-
Once, before the stabbing, Malik chased Yahkeim with a knife during horseplay.—
Grethel Aguila,
Miami Herald,
5 May 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 15 Jun. 2026.
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