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 hijinks
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
Though the mysteries, shenanigans, and kooky characters of Mike White’s brainchild bring us back every season, the infamous fashion is not to be overlooked.
—
Madison Yauger, People.com, 23 Feb. 2025
Hutchinson went on to make four Pro Bowls in Minnesota, and shenanigans like this have since been outlawed.
—Jacob Robinson, The Athletic, 19 Feb. 2025
As usual, there will be plenty of house parties, shenanigans and heartwarming displays of female friendship.
—Shivani Gonzalez, New York Times, 10 Feb. 2025
These are the independent watchdogs charged with flagging inefficiency, fraud and other shenanigans.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 31 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shenanigan
Madison Yauger, People.com, 23 Feb. 2025
Hutchinson went on to make four Pro Bowls in Minnesota, and shenanigans like this have since been outlawed.
—Jacob Robinson, The Athletic, 19 Feb. 2025
As usual, there will be plenty of house parties, shenanigans and heartwarming displays of female friendship.
—Shivani Gonzalez, New York Times, 10 Feb. 2025
These are the independent watchdogs charged with flagging inefficiency, fraud and other shenanigans.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 31 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shenanigan
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shenanigan
Noun
-
Nelson was charged with explosives or incendiary devices use during felony, criminal mischief and criminal attempt to commit a Class 3 felony, authorities said.—
Megan Forrester,
ABC News,
11 Mar. 2025
-
There’s something about these wordless intuitive bonds, full of mischief and love, that feel like magic.—
Kelli Bender,
People.com,
11 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
The idea of doctors posing as podcasters to make men more suggestible is already a winner, but the language the doctors employ to complete the ruse ratchets up the comedy.—
Joe Berkowitz,
Vulture,
26 Jan. 2025
-
Is this to maintain the ruse of amateurism to go along with the players’ professed allegiance to and love of this particular university, however temporary?—
Reader Commentary,
Baltimore Sun,
14 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
The main purpose was to allow prospective employers — other federal agencies or local police — to check their backgrounds for misconduct.—
Martin Kaste,
NPR,
28 Feb. 2025
-
Between fiscal years 2015 to 2019, agency inspectors general substantiated only 100 allegations of employee time and attendance misconduct or fraud out of a federal workforce of around 2.1 million employees (the GAO report did not include postal workers).—
Laura Doan,
CBS News,
27 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
The 22-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury came after a yearslong federal investigation and alleged Madigan participated in an array of bribery and extortion schemes from 2011 to 2019 aimed at using the power of his office for personal gain.—
Kori Rumore,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Mar. 2025
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Since Glossip’s 1998 conviction as the alleged orchestrator of a murder-for-hire scheme targeting his boss, Oklahoma City motel owner Barry Van Treese, a raft of issues with his prosecution has surfaced, coinciding with a shift of political winds now at the inmate’s back.—
Dakin Andone,
CNN,
28 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
In December, when the C.E.O. of UnitedHealthcare was gunned down in midtown Manhattan, an outpouring of online tomfoolery unfolded alongside the news story itself.—
Lauren Michele Jackson,
The New Yorker,
27 Feb. 2025
-
The tomfoolery that's going on in D.C., that's just regular everyday business to Black folks.—
Kristan Hawkins,
Newsweek,
7 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
Attendees will learn tricks of baiting and setting humane traps, which are on loan with a fully refundable deposit if they are returned in good condition, as well as how to transport cats safely.—
Melinda Moore,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Mar. 2025
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Luckily, there’s one easy trick that the most trustworthy, relatable and likable people use.—
Ellen Hendriksen, Contributor,
CNBC,
5 Mar. 2025
Noun
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But through the lens of director Bong’s twisted sense of humor, that buffoonery comes from somewhere dark.—
Chris O'Falt,
IndieWire,
6 Mar. 2025
-
There are no gilded gates here, but there is one heck of a party, complete with serenading busts, ballroom dancers, excitable opera singers, drunken buffoonery and portraits locked in an endless duel.—
Todd Martens,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
Key speeches are faithfully delivered to an audience of two, not thousands; a scene of soldiers destructively revelling on a bridge is given a different spirit by ironic, out-of-time horseplay.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
8 Feb. 2025
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And yes, there were cases on public roads where the horseplay turned dangerous.—
Mark Price,
Miami Herald,
22 Jan. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Shenanigan.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shenanigan. Accessed 16 Mar. 2025.
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