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
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
That’s the kind of trade the Stars are happy to make after getting even in this first-round series, 1-1, by baiting the Wild to get even with them in pre- and post-whistle shenanigans.
—Joe Smith, New York Times, 21 Apr. 2026
The bear's shenanigans were caught on the home's Ring camera.
—Mike Sullivan, CBS News, 20 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for shenanigan
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
That’s the kind of trade the Stars are happy to make after getting even in this first-round series, 1-1, by baiting the Wild to get even with them in pre- and post-whistle shenanigans.
—Joe Smith, New York Times, 21 Apr. 2026
The bear's shenanigans were caught on the home's Ring camera.
—Mike Sullivan, CBS News, 20 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for shenanigan
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shenanigan
Noun
-
He was charged with with burglary, two counts of criminal mischief, and breach of bail.—
Jessica Schladebeck,
New York Daily News,
8 May 2026
-
For audiences, the echo chamber that develops in the villas can seem debilitating to a possible reconciliation, but Walberg says that there are invariably a few authentic souls whose support is sincere rather than a tactic to get them into mischief.—
Todd Gilchrist,
IndieWire,
7 May 2026
Noun
-
The president has long bristled at the otherwise customary joking at his expense by celebrity comedians.—
Dennis Romero,
NBC news,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Here opposites — classy and brassy — are distractions, with odd-couple joking substituting for something more substantial.—
Frank Rizzo,
Variety,
23 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
However, the latter is revealed to be a ruse on the part of the trickster god.—
Sergio Pereira,
Space.com,
6 May 2026
-
While sustaining the ruse for months, Ale arranged with an expectant young mother who didn’t want her child to take that woman’s newborn as her own.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The committee has established a special investigative subcommittee to examine whether Mills engaged in conduct that could include improper relationships, financial misconduct, or abuse of his official position.—
Nik Popli,
Time,
11 May 2026
-
In the months that followed, former students began filing lawsuits alleging abuse and misconduct at the program.—
Rachel Hale,
USA Today,
11 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
-
Except this time, with a new head coach, new offensive and defensive schemes, new selflessness and trust in each other, the Knicks look better.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
9 May 2026
-
In the grand scheme of things, that is the blink of a marmoset’s eye.—
Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
8 May 2026
Noun
-
Many of his later programs have been capped by a coda in which the tricks of the trade are laid bare—no trick being more vital than that of extreme patience, with camera operators waiting days, or even weeks, for the right cub, or pup, or fledgling, or froglet, to show up.—
Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
8 May 2026
-
There is not a whole lot to chuckle about these days, and her column does the trick for me every week.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
8 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 13 May. 2026.
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