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
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Recent Examples of shenanigans
The financial shenanigans carried out by a single employee went undiscovered for nearly three years – where were the company’s auditors or the board’s audit committee?
—
Pamela N. Danziger, Forbes, 7 Jan. 2025
The New Age After more than a year of courtroom shenanigans, the YSL trial finally ends.
—Rob Marriott, VIBE.com, 30 Dec. 2024
This is a game where the margin of error is not big enough for shenanigans like that.
—Matt Schubert, The Denver Post, 28 Dec. 2024
And our definition of social media was to converse about the over-the-top shenanigans of the fictional Ewing, Channing and Carrington clans at the proverbial office watercooler.
—Marc Berman, Forbes, 26 Dec. 2024
Around him, dense as a swarm of tiny insects, float tiny images of fellow adepts engaged in all manner of outré shenanigans.
—Holland Cotter, New York Times, 26 Dec. 2024
Hilarious cameos by everyone from Miley Cyrus to Ilana Glazer will keep you on your toes during the shenanigans in this 2015 comedy.
—Lydia Price, People.com, 22 Dec. 2024
In fact, some of the funniest Scranton branch shenanigans come courtesy of the Party Planning Committee and itsDunder Mifflin Christmas party.
—Aurelie Corinthios, People.com, 21 Dec. 2024
The 2005 episode centers around the shenanigans that ensue when Adams’s character, Katy, shows up to the Dunder Mifflin office trying to sell knock-off purses and the show’s male characters all vie for her attention.
—John Russell, People.com, 19 Dec. 2024
Pamela N. Danziger, Forbes, 7 Jan. 2025
The New Age After more than a year of courtroom shenanigans, the YSL trial finally ends.
—Rob Marriott, VIBE.com, 30 Dec. 2024
This is a game where the margin of error is not big enough for shenanigans like that.
—Matt Schubert, The Denver Post, 28 Dec. 2024
And our definition of social media was to converse about the over-the-top shenanigans of the fictional Ewing, Channing and Carrington clans at the proverbial office watercooler.
—Marc Berman, Forbes, 26 Dec. 2024
Around him, dense as a swarm of tiny insects, float tiny images of fellow adepts engaged in all manner of outré shenanigans.
—Holland Cotter, New York Times, 26 Dec. 2024
Hilarious cameos by everyone from Miley Cyrus to Ilana Glazer will keep you on your toes during the shenanigans in this 2015 comedy.
—Lydia Price, People.com, 22 Dec. 2024
In fact, some of the funniest Scranton branch shenanigans come courtesy of the Party Planning Committee and itsDunder Mifflin Christmas party.
—Aurelie Corinthios, People.com, 21 Dec. 2024
The 2005 episode centers around the shenanigans that ensue when Adams’s character, Katy, shows up to the Dunder Mifflin office trying to sell knock-off purses and the show’s male characters all vie for her attention.
—John Russell, People.com, 19 Dec. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shenanigans
Noun
-
Fire marshals charged Cherry with three counts of second-degree arson, three counts of criminal mischief, and three counts of reckless endangerment.—
Thomas Tracy,
New York Daily News,
9 May 2025
-
In 1996, he was found guilty of criminal mischief for threatening a tabloid photographer with a gun, and paid a $1,000 fine.—
Ben Sisario,
New York Times,
30 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
The business-as-usual approach dovetails with a year of acts from Brand New to Ryan Adams looking to put a wide range of allegations of misconduct in the rearview mirror by giving diehards a show of talent to talk about instead and little else.—
Craig Jenkins,
Vulture,
13 May 2025
-
Substantial misconduct, Murphy said in the filing, can also warrant the disqualification of a prosecutor.—
Grethel Aguila,
Miami Herald,
12 May 2025
Noun
-
Would that all life could be filled with such tomfoolery.—
Graeme Wood,
The Atlantic,
9 May 2025
-
Another aspect to note is that the AI didn’t ridicule me or otherwise play any tomfoolery about my need for assistance.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
3 May 2025
Noun
-
Certainly, an irreverent portrait of Napoleon Bonaparte is warranted, but at two and a half hours of alternating brutality and buffoonery, this movie really tries one’s patience.—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
9 Mar. 2024
-
His is a sort of erudite buffoonery that consistently tap-dances between clever, self-aware, and patently stupid.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
22 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Shenanigans.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shenanigans. Accessed 23 May. 2025.
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