What does "shenanigan" mean?
singular of shenanigans: a deceitful confidence trick; also, an act of mischief; a prank, a trick; an act of mischievous play, especially by children.
Shenanigan
/ʃɪˈnænɪɡ(ə)n/ noun, verb, slang
noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: singular of shenanigans: a deceitful confidence trick; also, an act of mischief; a prank, a trick; an act of mischievous play, especially by children.
- Grammar: shenanigan is listed as noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: mischief, trickery, antic, caper.
- Useful contrasts: honesty, integrity, legitimacy.
- Usage evidence: I spotted his next shenanigan—saw it coming—and so avoided being fooled.
How to use "shenanigan"
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- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "shenanigan" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
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Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "shenanigan" in a final draft.
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Before you rely on this definition
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Compare nearby meanings
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Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
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Definitions
Noun
- 1 singular of shenanigans: a deceitful confidence trick; also, an act of mischief; a prank, a trick; an act of mischievous play, especially by children. countable, form-of, in-plural, informal, singular
"I spotted his next shenanigan—saw it coming—and so avoided being fooled."
- 2 reckless or malicious behavior that causes discomfort or annoyance in others wordnet
- 3 Dishonest, underhanded, or unscrupulous activities or behaviour; skulduggery, trickery; also, mischievous behaviour or play; high jinks. dated, informal, rare, uncountable
"One of Professor [John] Moon's most astonishing "experiments," consisted of holding a watch suspended from a short chain at arm's length, and allowing anyone in the pit to pull pistol and "blaze away" at the word "fire," whereupon the watch would most unconscionably disappear. An individual who had attended several evenings and witnessed the "experiment," suspected, in the classic language of the times, that there was something of "shenanigan" in it."
- 4 the use of tricks to deceive someone (usually to extract money from them) wordnet
Verb
- 1 To play a deceitful confidence trick on (someone); to swindle, to trick; also, to carry out an act of mischief on (someone); to prank. informal, transitive
"The habit of "shenaniganing" has become so disgracefully common at Union college that some of the right minded students have passed resolutions condemning the practice in unqualified terms. We are happy to inform the friends of Michigan University that this unmusical word, which, translated means the use of artificial aids, in examinations, is almost wholly unknown here."
- 2 To play a deceitful confidence trick; also, to carry out an act of mischief. informal, intransitive
"Then after much shenaniganing around over a period of several weeks […] we came into the committee room after this "night study" which I understand too place, and some of the Members had the bill we are now considering in a mimeographed form and some of us did not have it."
Antonyms
Example
"I spotted his next shenanigan—saw it coming—and so avoided being fooled."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "shenanigan"?
Common synonyms include: mischief, trickery, antic, caper, caper, chicane.
How do you use "shenanigan" in a sentence?
I spotted his next shenanigan—saw it coming—and so avoided being fooled.
How do you pronounce "shenanigan"?
Pronounced /ʃɪˈnænɪɡ(ə)n/.
Etymology
The origin of the noun is uncertain. As the earliest attestations are from California, U.S.A., in the 1850s towards the end of the California gold rush (see the quotations), it is possible that the word derives from one of the following: * Irish sionnachuighim (“to play tricks”, literally “to play the fox”); Irishmen were among the people participating in the gold rush. (See also the 31 December 1854 quotation suggesting it is an “Irish word”.) * Spanish chanada, a shortening of charranada (“deceit, trick”); California was colonized by the Spanish Empire in the 18th century, and many people from Latin America also took part in the gold rush. Other suggestions are set out in the table below. possible etymologies * From the East Anglian dialectal word nannicking (“playing the fool”). * From French ces manigances (“these fraudulent schemes”). * From German Scheinheilige (“sham holy men; sham holy actions”), scheinheilig (“hypocritical”) (18th c.) * From Rhine Franconian schinägeln (“to work hard”), from the peddler’s argot term Schenigelei (“work”). The verb is derived from the noun.