1
as in mischief
usually shenanigans plural
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 joking
usually shenanigans plural
wildly playful or mischievous behavior
an act of vandalism that went way beyond the usual shenanigans at summer camp
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in ruse
a clever often underhanded means to achieve an end
the street-corner huckster of pirated DVDs had all sorts of shenanigans to keep the cops off of his tail
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of shenanigan
Fans sitting in this section get a front-row seat to Gritty’s infamous skits and silly shenanigans throughout the game.
—
Samantha Agate, Miami Herald, 28 Apr. 2026
And the mascot's drive to entertain fans on and off of the ice through stadium shenanigans and a hilarious social media presence is unmatched.
—Kaitlyn McCormick, USA Today, 27 Apr. 2026
That means Hawkins Lab may get up to some minor shenanigans, and the Upside Down may harbor peculiar creatures — one of which props up the first season’s central mystery about a hostile spore-spreading species — but none of them can be any more nefarious or terrifying than what popped up before.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 23 Apr. 2026
After the whistle After all the shenanigans in Game 2 and across the league’s playoffs series in general, NHL officials addressed the post-whistle battles with the players Thursday morning.
—Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 23 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for shenanigan
Samantha Agate, Miami Herald, 28 Apr. 2026
And the mascot's drive to entertain fans on and off of the ice through stadium shenanigans and a hilarious social media presence is unmatched.
—Kaitlyn McCormick, USA Today, 27 Apr. 2026
That means Hawkins Lab may get up to some minor shenanigans, and the Upside Down may harbor peculiar creatures — one of which props up the first season’s central mystery about a hostile spore-spreading species — but none of them can be any more nefarious or terrifying than what popped up before.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 23 Apr. 2026
After the whistle After all the shenanigans in Game 2 and across the league’s playoffs series in general, NHL officials addressed the post-whistle battles with the players Thursday morning.
—Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 23 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for shenanigan
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shenanigan
Noun
-
Astronomers have dubbed the ancient galaxy Loki, after the Norse god of mischief.—
Ashley Strickland,
CNN Money,
23 May 2026
-
Mom was hit with a felony charge of criminal mischief and a misdemeanor count of disorderly conduct.—
Sean Joseph OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
14 May 2026
Noun
-
Despite that underlying tension, kids play on the street outside while the large family has a dynamic like any other — noisily squabbling, joking, or in the case of the matriarchal grandmother, Mariam (Hiam Abbass), preparing a meal in a kitchen plagued by constant utility outages.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
15 May 2026
-
The president has long bristled at the otherwise customary joking at his expense by celebrity comedians.—
Dennis Romero,
NBC news,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
One team of successful attorneys created an elaborate ruse a couple of years ago that involved a private jet and an Oscar-worthy acting job.—
Kristin Shaw,
Forbes.com,
17 May 2026
-
This clever ruse thwarted the late-summer naval attack.—
Kaitlyn Yarborough,
Southern Living,
15 May 2026
Noun
-
The timeline of the Andrew scandal has been heavily discussed, even before the disgraced former prince was arrested for suspicion of misconduct in public office.—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
17 May 2026
-
In December, Hill pleaded guilty to state charges of misconduct, perjury and obstruction of justice and was put on probation.—
N'dea Yancey-Bragg,
USA Today,
15 May 2026
Noun
-
Warm temperatures should keep the snow from causing too much traffic tomfoolery on Tuesday, but by the evening, roads are likely to turn slick, Danielson said.—
Lauren Penington,
Denver Post,
4 May 2026
-
The Jazz are 15-35, which puts them at the sixth pick if zero lottery-ball tomfoolery happens.—
Zach Harper,
New York Times,
3 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Season One of Off Campus centers hockey captain Garret Graham (Belmont Cameli) and music major Hannah Wells (Ella Bright), who start a mutually beneficial fake-dating scheme.—
CT Jones,
Rolling Stone,
22 May 2026
-
Smartcards from this point on had much more powerful chips running much more powerful encryption schemes.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
22 May 2026
Noun
-
Even when some of the tricks become apparent, each new repetition somehow delivers more than the last, though the weightless, old-school video game aesthetic of the alien monster design sticks out even more amid the stylishness of the world captured in-camera.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
22 May 2026
-
Vogue consulted with masterful artists such as Tasha Reiko Brown, Amy Komorowski, Emma Day, and Aika Danica Flores to get their tricks for achieving low-key, everyday makeup looks that are undetectable to even the most trained of eyes.—
Christian Allaire,
Vogue,
22 May 2026
Noun
-
The show, with its interest in corporate buffoonery, doesn’t quite manage to hand-wave away the queasy implications.—
Inkoo Kang,
New Yorker,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Receivers have cratered seasons with me-over-we buffoonery.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
19 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shenanigan.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shenanigan. Accessed 24 May. 2026.
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