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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in hijinks
wildly playful or mischievous behavior
an act of vandalism that went way beyond the usual shenanigans at summer camp
Synonyms & Similar Words
Examples 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 financial shenanigans carried out by a single employee went undiscovered for nearly three years – where were the company’s auditors or the board’s audit committee?
—
Pamela N. Danziger, Forbes, 7 Jan. 2025
The New Age After more than a year of courtroom shenanigans, the YSL trial finally ends.
—Rob Marriott, VIBE.com, 30 Dec. 2024
This is a game where the margin of error is not big enough for shenanigans like that.
—Matt Schubert, The Denver Post, 28 Dec. 2024
And our definition of social media was to converse about the over-the-top shenanigans of the fictional Ewing, Channing and Carrington clans at the proverbial office watercooler.
—Marc Berman, Forbes, 26 Dec. 2024
Around him, dense as a swarm of tiny insects, float tiny images of fellow adepts engaged in all manner of outré shenanigans.
—Holland Cotter, New York Times, 26 Dec. 2024
Hilarious cameos by everyone from Miley Cyrus to Ilana Glazer will keep you on your toes during the shenanigans in this 2015 comedy.
—Lydia Price, People.com, 22 Dec. 2024
In fact, some of the funniest Scranton branch shenanigans come courtesy of the Party Planning Committee and itsDunder Mifflin Christmas party.
—Aurelie Corinthios, People.com, 21 Dec. 2024
The 2005 episode centers around the shenanigans that ensue when Adams’s character, Katy, shows up to the Dunder Mifflin office trying to sell knock-off purses and the show’s male characters all vie for her attention.
—John Russell, People.com, 19 Dec. 2024
Pamela N. Danziger, Forbes, 7 Jan. 2025
The New Age After more than a year of courtroom shenanigans, the YSL trial finally ends.
—Rob Marriott, VIBE.com, 30 Dec. 2024
This is a game where the margin of error is not big enough for shenanigans like that.
—Matt Schubert, The Denver Post, 28 Dec. 2024
And our definition of social media was to converse about the over-the-top shenanigans of the fictional Ewing, Channing and Carrington clans at the proverbial office watercooler.
—Marc Berman, Forbes, 26 Dec. 2024
Around him, dense as a swarm of tiny insects, float tiny images of fellow adepts engaged in all manner of outré shenanigans.
—Holland Cotter, New York Times, 26 Dec. 2024
Hilarious cameos by everyone from Miley Cyrus to Ilana Glazer will keep you on your toes during the shenanigans in this 2015 comedy.
—Lydia Price, People.com, 22 Dec. 2024
In fact, some of the funniest Scranton branch shenanigans come courtesy of the Party Planning Committee and itsDunder Mifflin Christmas party.
—Aurelie Corinthios, People.com, 21 Dec. 2024
The 2005 episode centers around the shenanigans that ensue when Adams’s character, Katy, shows up to the Dunder Mifflin office trying to sell knock-off purses and the show’s male characters all vie for her attention.
—John Russell, People.com, 19 Dec. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shenanigans
Noun
-
The London Cat, a great skinless feline who likes to turn people inside-out and embodies all the mischief and malevolence of cats).Christian Holub, EW.com, 3 Jan. 2025
-
Daniel Taylor has written about the mentality, moves, and mischief which made him — and unearths his first ever scouting report.Jacob Whitehead, The Athletic, 3 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
Liberty has been a member of the Florida Bar since 2004 and has no history of misconduct.Rafael Olmeda, Sun Sentinel, 12 Jan. 2025
-
Baldwin’s attorneys accused the state of misconduct, pointing to a batch of unexamined bullets that a potential witness turned over to sheriff’s investigators last March.Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 10 Jan. 2025
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
Noun
-
What’s so special about Britain’s patron wanker of bighearted buffoonery?Joe Reid, Vulture, 8 Jan. 2025
-
Fans are fixated on his greatness juxtaposed against the rest of the Bengals’ buffoonery.The Athletic NFL Staff, The Athletic, 3 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near shenanigans
Cite this Entry
“Shenanigans.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shenanigans. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share