monkeying 1 of 3

noun

Definition of monkeyingnext
as in funning
wildly playful or mischievous behavior all that monkeying was sure to end in someone or something getting hurt

Synonyms & Similar Words

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monkeying

2 of 3

adjective

as in ornery

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

monkeying

3 of 3

verb

present participle of monkey
as in aping

Synonyms & Similar Words

Examples Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for monkeying
  1. ornery
  2. copying
  3. rascally
  4. impish
  5. imitating
  6. tomfoolery
  7. prankish
  8. knavish
Adjective
  • The offensive line, in Monken’s estimation, is the most talented and possibly most ornery unit he’s had at West Point, all the way down to wrestling each other to settle arguments about who’s tougher.
    Brian Hamilton, The Athletic, 21 Nov. 2024
  • They’re led by John Dutton III, an ornery character who nevertheless carries the kind of gravitas that only a veteran movie star like Kevin Costner can bring.
    Noel Murray, Vulture, 18 Nov. 2024
Definition of ornery
Verb
  • What sets Fay apart, too, is the harmonious amalgamation of characteristically Italian design with the sensibility of New England—and its earnest commitment not to appropriating or copying a certain aesthetic, but to embracing it authentically and blending it perfectly with Fay’s own design values.
    Caroline Reilly, Robb Report, 3 Jan. 2025
  • Over time, the tradition gained cultural significance, and many started copying it in the hopes of a prosperous year ahead.
    George Monastiriakos, Newsweek, 31 Dec. 2024
Definition of copying
Adjective
  • In 1950, scientists deployed a virus called Myxoma to destroy the rascally rabbits.
    Bethany Brookshire, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 Dec. 2022
  • The Los Angeles Rams, starring as the rascally rabbit, defeated the slow-and-deliberate Cincinnati Bengals in a fascinating case study between completely opposite approaches to team-building.
    Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Feb. 2022
Definition of rascally
Adjective
  • Enter the impish, shaggy-haired son of an Austrian police officer.
    Danielle Friedman, New York Times, 15 Jan. 2025
  • So Link’s Awakening is a careful balance of impish humor and light danger — much like David Lynch’s Twin Peaks, which inspired the game (and its dreamworld owls).
    Ashley Bardhan, Vulture, 27 Sep. 2024
Definition of impish
Verb
  • The dog's posture in the viral clip is unsurprising because research has shown that canines are capable of imitating human actions.
    Dan Perry, Newsweek, 3 Jan. 2025
  • Art is imitating life for Jennifer Lopez.
    Jen Juneau, People.com, 2 Jan. 2025
Definition of imitating
Noun
  • If humans can use emotional tomfoolery to prevail over AI, there is a certain kind of endearing fulfillment in doing so.
    Lance Eliot, Forbes, 10 Jan. 2025
  • Aside from those two couple moments, Turner's post also included plenty of tomfoolery with friends and documented some of her travels — from skiing in January to an October trip to an ancient temple in Egypt.
    Julia Moore, People.com, 6 Jan. 2025
Definition of tomfoolery
Adjective
  • Fuchs put a prankish spin on the descending octaves that tootle above the reprise of the symphony’s solemn opening.
    Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 9 Dec. 2024
  • While Gandhi begins his pursuit with a largely prankish approach, his film (and the gimmick anchoring it) surprisingly illuminates what some people gain from becoming part of a communal family.
    Declan Gallagher, EW.com, 31 July 2024
Definition of prankish
Adjective
  • Wells could be playful, knavish, and his tone here is one of urgency and optimism about the distribution of information.
    BostonGlobe.com, BostonGlobe.com, 30 July 2021
  • The same people who are now telling us that only Republican-voting obscurantists, ignorant deplorables and knavish right-wing media pundits are raising doubts about the vaccine would have been oozing skepticism.
    Gerard Baker, WSJ, 12 July 2021
Definition of knavish
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.

Thesaurus Entries Near monkeying

monkeyed (with)

monkeying

monkeying (around)

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Cite this Entry

“Monkeying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/monkeying. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.

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