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
The next luxury shenanigans will unfold somewhere in the middle, in France.
—
Amarachi Orie, CNN Money, 30 Jan. 2026
Hadid shared several other looks from her holiday shenanigans, including wearing her hair down and tucked behind her ears and under a baseball cap, as well as a metallic manicure.
—Marci Robin, Allure, 20 Jan. 2026
Landman season 2 just ended last night with a big finale, and Tommy and the crew got up to their usual shenanigans, leading to some potentially explosive events for season 3.
—Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 20 Jan. 2026
After seeing Harry and Ron’s meet-cute, Harry is spotted flying away from Ron on the Quidditch pitch without any bottoms, and more sexy Hogwarts shenanigans take place.
—William Earl, Variety, 18 Jan. 2026
There, sisterhoods are rekindled, and thanks to a lot of dancing, drinking, and brawling, wild sides reemerge and shenanigans abound.
—Lauren Huff, Entertainment Weekly, 18 Jan. 2026
If even his bros are sick of his shenanigans in 2009, why is he being allowed to give a toast at the rehearsal dinner in 2015?
—Kathleen Walsh, Vulture, 14 Jan. 2026
That original inclusion of a metal bell at the Lafayette restaurant led to some classic small-town shenanigans.
—John Metcalfe, Mercury News, 13 Jan. 2026
But in the past, there has been no will to discipline the stock traders and stop the shenanigans.
—Betsy McCaughey, Boston Herald, 13 Jan. 2026
Amarachi Orie, CNN Money, 30 Jan. 2026
Hadid shared several other looks from her holiday shenanigans, including wearing her hair down and tucked behind her ears and under a baseball cap, as well as a metallic manicure.
—Marci Robin, Allure, 20 Jan. 2026
Landman season 2 just ended last night with a big finale, and Tommy and the crew got up to their usual shenanigans, leading to some potentially explosive events for season 3.
—Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 20 Jan. 2026
After seeing Harry and Ron’s meet-cute, Harry is spotted flying away from Ron on the Quidditch pitch without any bottoms, and more sexy Hogwarts shenanigans take place.
—William Earl, Variety, 18 Jan. 2026
There, sisterhoods are rekindled, and thanks to a lot of dancing, drinking, and brawling, wild sides reemerge and shenanigans abound.
—Lauren Huff, Entertainment Weekly, 18 Jan. 2026
If even his bros are sick of his shenanigans in 2009, why is he being allowed to give a toast at the rehearsal dinner in 2015?
—Kathleen Walsh, Vulture, 14 Jan. 2026
That original inclusion of a metal bell at the Lafayette restaurant led to some classic small-town shenanigans.
—John Metcalfe, Mercury News, 13 Jan. 2026
But in the past, there has been no will to discipline the stock traders and stop the shenanigans.
—Betsy McCaughey, Boston Herald, 13 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shenanigans
Noun
-
Wilde is at her best when Erika is imperiously giving orders or expounding — in seriousness or mischief?—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
24 Jan. 2026
-
Moss has a lengthy criminal record with convictions, including battery resulting in serious bodily injury, criminal recklessness while armed with a deadly weapon, criminal mischief and criminal trespass, police said in earlier court documents.—
Adam Sabes,
FOXNews.com,
23 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
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
-
This prevalence, however, has led to widespread quality-control tomfoolery.—
Brock Keeling,
Oc Register,
6 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Blind spots, poor image quality, and limited video retention undermine investigations and allow misconduct to go undetected or unprosecuted.—
Walter Pavlo,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Progressives also have endorsed the reversal of qualified immunity protections, which shield agents from misconduct lawsuits.—
Ana Ceballos,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
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
-
Our poll’s options include a joking reference to Dan Marino.—
Greg Cote
December 20,
Miami Herald,
20 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
-
Scholz-Carlson’s staging pushes against the deep misogyny of Da Ponte’s libretto by accentuating the buffoonery of the two male romantic leads.—
Sheila Regan,
Twin Cities,
2 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
The clowning isn’t over just yet, though.—
Larisha Paul,
Rolling Stone,
13 Jan. 2026
-
Art, meanwhile, occupies a lonely table in the pizzeria and tries to put on his best clowning act for the two women.—
Declan Gallagher,
Entertainment Weekly,
31 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
There was reportedly no horseplay or swerving during the ride, according to 9News.—
Jessica Sager,
PEOPLE,
22 Dec. 2025
-
But what had once been raucous and raunchy mischief, was now benign horseplay.—
Time,
Time,
30 Oct. 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 1 Feb. 2026.
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