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 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
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Recent Examples of shenanigans
There may be some debates, election posturing and shenanigans along the way.
—
Staff Reports, AJC.com, 2 Apr. 2026
Some companies have discovered their innocent shenanigans failed to delight audiences and instead tarnished their brands.
—John Tufts, IndyStar, 1 Apr. 2026
All kitchen shenanigans aside, the resulting dish is an Instagram-worthy feast.
—Anna Grace Lee, Vogue, 27 Mar. 2026
Time-travel shenanigans wouldn’t work in just any gangster movie.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 25 Mar. 2026
In ‘Kansas City,’ Altman shot an entire concert in this club and then edited it into the flow of the film, where the musicians are providing a Greek chorus to all the shenanigans that are going on with the white characters.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 24 Mar. 2026
That’s the consensus opinion of fans and participants alike to the promotional shenanigans ahead of this weekend’s Fanatics Flag Football Classic at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles and next month’s WWE WrestleMania 42 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
—Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2026
And that dude was always up to some weird shenanigans.
—Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 20 Mar. 2026
The incident comes as authorities throughout the Sunshine State are cracking down on spring break shenanigans as college students descend on beaches up and down the coast.
—Julia Bonavita, FOXNews.com, 19 Mar. 2026
Staff Reports, AJC.com, 2 Apr. 2026
Some companies have discovered their innocent shenanigans failed to delight audiences and instead tarnished their brands.
—John Tufts, IndyStar, 1 Apr. 2026
All kitchen shenanigans aside, the resulting dish is an Instagram-worthy feast.
—Anna Grace Lee, Vogue, 27 Mar. 2026
Time-travel shenanigans wouldn’t work in just any gangster movie.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 25 Mar. 2026
In ‘Kansas City,’ Altman shot an entire concert in this club and then edited it into the flow of the film, where the musicians are providing a Greek chorus to all the shenanigans that are going on with the white characters.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 24 Mar. 2026
That’s the consensus opinion of fans and participants alike to the promotional shenanigans ahead of this weekend’s Fanatics Flag Football Classic at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles and next month’s WWE WrestleMania 42 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
—Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2026
And that dude was always up to some weird shenanigans.
—Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 20 Mar. 2026
The incident comes as authorities throughout the Sunshine State are cracking down on spring break shenanigans as college students descend on beaches up and down the coast.
—Julia Bonavita, FOXNews.com, 19 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shenanigans
Noun
-
Four other charges in that case — including assault, criminal mischief and domestic violence in the presence of a child — were dismissed with prejudice, the records show.—
Meriam Bouarrouj,
NBC news,
3 Apr. 2026
-
Christopher Nastasa, 39, was arrested on 19 charges, including robbery, assault, petit larceny and criminal mischief as hate crimes, for the March 17 attack, according to police.—
Colin Mixson,
New York Daily News,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
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
-
But enough of all that tomfoolery, because there is one person on the beach who knows exactly what is about to happen!—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
6 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
The costs of decades of misconduct by Chicago police have grown enormous as the city settles lawsuit after lawsuit using expensive private counsel to handle most of the work.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Mar. 2026
-
And of course, Andrew being stripped of his titles and evicted from Royal Lodge, only to then be arrested for suspicion of misconduct in public office.—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
30 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
There was none of the usual laughing and joking.—
Mario Cortegana,
New York Times,
20 Mar. 2026
-
Lindsay says that Jesse was serious about asking, but that the make-out would be a joking make-out.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
4 Mar. 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
Noun
-
Comedy and clowning are ways Zaalan has connected with their homeland after the Syrian revolution.—
Candace Hansen,
Los Angeles Times,
1 Apr. 2026
-
As in past years, the festival will feature independent artists and companies presenting new and experimental theater, dance, clowning, music and more.—
Pam Kragen,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
15 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
More horseplay: Saturday brings the 75th running of the Curlin Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, a chance to watch horses that will soon run in the Kentucky Derby, but also an excuse for locals to dress up with outfits topped by a hat or fascinator.—
Ben Crandell,
Sun Sentinel,
25 Mar. 2026
-
Those dousings also prompted outrage from police leaders — who decried it as an inexcusable sign of disrespect, and even suggested that officers willing to walk away from that kind of horseplay should consider another line of work.—
Anthony Izaguirre,
Fortune,
26 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The boys challenge each other to throw heavy objects, which leads to intense roughhousing.—
Carlos Aguilar,
Variety,
27 Jan. 2026
-
The actor shared rare photos of the teen with his younger siblings, getting it in at the gym, hiking, and roughhousing.—
Elizabeth Ayoola,
Essence,
10 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Shenanigans.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shenanigans. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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