Synonyms of shenanigans

shenanigans

noun

plural of shenanigan

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

• mischief
• misconduct
• playfulness
• devilment
• mischievousness
• rascality
• roguishness
• wickedness
• devilishness
• devilry
• irritation
• waggishness
• knavery
• roguery
• impishness
• hob
• exasperation
• diablerie
• misbehavior
• waggery
• tomfoolery
• espièglerie
• buffoonery
• troublemaking
• chicanery
• trickery
• naughtiness
• goings-on
• friskiness
• hanky-panky
• monkeying
• annoyance
• high jinks
• horseplay
• skylarking
• caper
• sportiveness
• roughhousing
• antic
• trick
• practical joke
• diabolicalness
• monkey business
• aggravation
• monkeyshine(s)
• dido

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• gravity
• seriousness
• solemnity
• gravitas
• solemnness

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

• tomfoolery
• joking
• buffoonery
• funning
• clowning
• monkeying
• horseplay
• high jinks
• roughhousing
• clownery
• skylarking
• mischief
• playfulness
• foolery
• roughhouse
• slapstick
• monkey business
• horsing around
• nonsense
• sporting
• monkeyshine(s)
• trickery
• childishness
• rowdiness
• jesting
• silliness
• rowdyism
• boisterousness
• rambunctiousness
• clownishness
• foolishness
• rascality
• frivolity
• roguishness
• merrymaking
• revelry
• mischievousness
• prankishness
• frolicking
• devilry
• cavorting
• rumbustiousness
• knavery
• roistering
• romping
• roguery
• waggery
• impishness
• gamboling
• sportiveness

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of shenanigans

The nearly dialogue-free shenanigans hark back to slapstick comedians like Harold Lloyd and Buster Keaton, making the often hilariously violent encounters between these two characters feel at once fresh and classical. — Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Sep. 2026

Once the first-half shenanigans subside and both teams settle in, the better one will emerge victorious at The Booth. — Pj Green september 8, Kansas City Star, 8 Sep. 2026

But tighter scripting and less mayhem would have helped make his message heard, instead of diluting it with too many shenanigans. — Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 7 Sep. 2026

The current economic shenanigans, from tariffs to RAM shortages, have led console manufacturers to raise prices over time rather than lower them, as was the norm. — Jordan Minor, PC Magazine, 6 Sep. 2026

Clearly their support worked as the streamer confirmed Hardy’s da Souza is back for more shenanigans in Season 3. — K.j. Yossman, Variety, 3 Sep. 2026

The shenanigans with Leonard and Uncle Dennis just cost them an additional five firsts. — John Hollinger, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026

Pushing it into hard motocross-style shenanigans will knock that time down considerably, of course. — New Atlas, 2 Sep. 2026

Another stunning composite view of last night's lunar shenanigans was taken by Kohinoor Kar, who documented the transformation of the lunar disk from full Sturgeon Moon to an eclipsed near-blood moon from Phoenix, Arizona. — Anthony Wood, Space.com, 28 Aug. 2026

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