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 hijinks
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
Bluey lives with her mom, dad and sister Bingo, and the family is always up to fun, unpredictable shenanigans.
—
Greta Cross, USA Today, 4 Sep. 2025
How that ratio of truth to horse manure will manifest in the shenanigans of season two is anyone’s guess.
—Alex Ritman, Variety, 2 Sep. 2025
With strong low-end torque, the larger engine makes off-road shenanigans and highway merges equally stress-free.
—Peter Lyon, Forbes.com, 31 Aug. 2025
The child star, who had previously made TV appearances and had a supporting part in 1989's Uncle Buck, nabbed the starring role in the movie playing Kevin McCallister, a young boy who is accidentally left home alone by his family and faces the ensuing shenanigans of his solo time.
—EW.com, 26 Aug. 2025
The youngest boy Benny Walter (Lennix James) participated in these shenanigans, as did Jordan (Dean Petriw), who always has his video camera on him to capture documentary-worthy moments like that prank, which stemmed from a bet between Isaac and Cole.
—Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 25 Aug. 2025
Sure, Outlander or Blood of My Blood could pull some twisty time-travel shenanigans and make this happen, but this universe isn’t exactly known for doling out neat and tidy happily ever afters.
—Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 22 Aug. 2025
As a result of shenanigans in their dressing room, players Adrien Rabiot and Jonathan Rowe have both been transfer-listed.
—Phil Hay, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2025
The intergenerational sparring and mother-daughter friction that fueled the laughs in Freaky Friday are diluted in a script by Jordan Weiss (Hulu’s Dollface) that sticks to much of the earlier template but doubles the body-swap shenanigans.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 5 Aug. 2025
Greta Cross, USA Today, 4 Sep. 2025
How that ratio of truth to horse manure will manifest in the shenanigans of season two is anyone’s guess.
—Alex Ritman, Variety, 2 Sep. 2025
With strong low-end torque, the larger engine makes off-road shenanigans and highway merges equally stress-free.
—Peter Lyon, Forbes.com, 31 Aug. 2025
The child star, who had previously made TV appearances and had a supporting part in 1989's Uncle Buck, nabbed the starring role in the movie playing Kevin McCallister, a young boy who is accidentally left home alone by his family and faces the ensuing shenanigans of his solo time.
—EW.com, 26 Aug. 2025
The youngest boy Benny Walter (Lennix James) participated in these shenanigans, as did Jordan (Dean Petriw), who always has his video camera on him to capture documentary-worthy moments like that prank, which stemmed from a bet between Isaac and Cole.
—Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 25 Aug. 2025
Sure, Outlander or Blood of My Blood could pull some twisty time-travel shenanigans and make this happen, but this universe isn’t exactly known for doling out neat and tidy happily ever afters.
—Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 22 Aug. 2025
As a result of shenanigans in their dressing room, players Adrien Rabiot and Jonathan Rowe have both been transfer-listed.
—Phil Hay, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2025
The intergenerational sparring and mother-daughter friction that fueled the laughs in Freaky Friday are diluted in a script by Jordan Weiss (Hulu’s Dollface) that sticks to much of the earlier template but doubles the body-swap shenanigans.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 5 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shenanigans
Noun
-
Wednesday, of course, is always up to some mischief, bringing Enid in with her.—
Hedy Phillips,
PEOPLE,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Expecting dull days and strict rules, the boy instead stumbles into a world of delightful chaos and imagination – where outrageous stories are spun, and a world of wonder, memory, and mischief unfolds.—
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
5 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Paxton’s history of misconduct is years in the making.—
Kimberly Ross,
The Washington Examiner,
12 Sep. 2025
-
Paragon was linked to alleged misconduct in Europe after WhatsApp reported that Italian journalists and civil society members had been targeted with its technology.—
Vas Panagiotopoulos,
ArsTechnica,
11 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
When Peanut pulled his second escape act, his owners knew where to look and handled Peanut's disappearance in a joking manner.—
Michael Nied,
People.com,
2 Sep. 2025
-
Multiple outlets that examined the reporting identified the claim as unverified and labeled the story a hoax; Colbert had previously made a joking on-air reference to streaming platforms but had not announced any deal with Netflix.—
Megan Cartwright,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Rite of passage or midnight tomfoolery?—
Jake Allen,
IndyStar,
10 Sep. 2025
-
Last year, in response to some political parodies that used images created by artificial intelligence, including one that pilloried Vice President Kamala Harris, the Legislature passed and Newsom signed two measures to outlaw such tomfoolery.—
Dan Walters,
Mercury News,
5 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Their relationship, tentative, intimate, and defiant, lingers long after the satirical skewering of male buffoonery has faded.—
Leila Latif,
IndieWire,
5 Sep. 2025
-
He’s been tinkering with this messaging on and off since damn near the start of the century, when his criticism of the genre shifted from the power-holding executives (both white and Black) of the music industry who were profiting off buffoonery, a la Bamboozled, to rap music itself.—
Alphonse Pierre,
Pitchfork,
15 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Finally, after plenty of clowning, Taylor Swift has revealed that her 12th album is on the way, titled The Life of a Showgirl.—
Tom Smyth,
Vulture,
13 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Shenanigans.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shenanigans. Accessed 13 Sep. 2025.
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