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

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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

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of shenanigans The third season sees Ranma and fiancée Akane have to deal with old annoyances, new dangers, and even more shenanigans. — K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 2 Oct. 2026 As for what’s going on with the cryptic buying up of team shares, that remains an ongoing mystery for much of the episode — one that ends without Higgins and Rebecca finding out who’s really behind the shenanigans. — Keith Phipps, Vulture, 30 Sep. 2026 The caveat is that while the V8s in these pickups are built for towing, off-road shenanigans, and long road trips, the LS6 in Chevy's sports car was tuned with the racetrack and canyon carving in mind. — New Atlas, 25 Sep. 2026 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 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shenanigans
  1. mischief
  2. tomfoolery
  3. misconduct
  4. joking
  5. buffoonery
  6. clowning
  7. horseplay
  8. roughhousing
Noun
  • Maybe Canada doesn’t need another billion-dollar weapons system – just a few more hockey sticks and a good dose of patriotic mischief.
    — Rachel Marsden, Hartford Courant, 2 Oct. 2026
  • The actors who work best are the ones who give themselves over to his sense of mischief and permissiveness.
    — E. Alex Jung, Vulture, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of mischief
Noun
  • After the film’s theatrical release on June 26, the decades-long saga of pranks and tomfoolery is finally coming to an end.
    — Isabelle Farina, Variety, 9 Sep. 2026
  • New assistant coach Alice Chilton is a blatant remodeling of Roy Kent — a brusque ex-soccer player who’s reluctant to engage with Ted’s tomfoolery or personal prodding — but Tanya Reynolds’ performance is equal turns wounded and witty.
    — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of tomfoolery
Noun
  • The reports come after misconduct findings against some interfraternity chapters in the spring and multiple criminal investigations, according to the letter.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 8 Oct. 2026
  • British police acknowledged applying for the warrants under the wrong statutory provision, the judge said while stipulating that the misconduct investigation against the king's brother could continue.
    — Steve Hendrix, Washington Post, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of misconduct
Noun
  • Russell was mentioned in that speech, but in a joking way, playing off of how frequent Oscars director Glenn Weiss, who won for his role helming the 2018 Academy Awards telecast, had used his speech to propose to his then-girlfriend.
    — Hilary Lewis, HollywoodReporter, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Arch Manning's joking comments at a news conference about a fake video of coach Steve Sarkisian slapping ESPN reporter Holly Rowe erupted in controversy.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of joking
Noun
  • The show creates space for other types of buffoonery as well.
    — Georgie McKeon, Vulture, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Still, there's a remarkable level of buffoonery in his analysis.
    — Bobby Burack OutKick, FOXNews.com, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of buffoonery
Noun
  • On paper, the script didn’t seem that funny, and the looseness of it all — the clowning, the lack of a traditional plot structure — seemed kind of slapdash.
    — Victor Garber, Vulture, 17 Sep. 2026
  • The clowning might be a little too effortful.
    — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2026
Definition of clowning
Noun
  • The video depicts a group of students engaged in horseplay, progressing to two 15-year-olds tussling and laughing, according to the suit.
    — Eric Peterson, Chicago Tribune, 23 Sep. 2026
  • The undefeated South Dakota Coyotes prowled into Albertsons Stadium this weekend and turned what could have been an evening of horseplay for the Broncos into a dogfight.
    — Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of horseplay
Noun
  • As expected, Aussies brought the roughhousing.
    — Sean Gregory, Time, 20 June 2026
  • The boys challenge each other to throw heavy objects, which leads to intense roughhousing.
    — Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 27 Jan. 2026
Definition of roughhousing

Browse Nearby Words

shenanigan
shenanigans
Sheol
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Cite this Entry

“Shenanigans.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shenanigans. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

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