hijinks
7 synonyms for hijinks, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Noun — Lively, mischievous fun and boisterous goings-on — the kind of harmless misbehaviour that makes a good story afterwards.
Synonyms
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
How to use hijinks
The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.
comic hijinks
drunken hijinks
hijinks ensue
get up to hijinks
Informal and light-hearted. Always plural in form and takes a plural verb: the hijinks were harmless.
Etymology
From the earlier phrase high jinks, originally the name of a boisterous parlour drinking game.
Full origin of hijinks →Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between hijinks and shenanigans?
Hijinks are almost always innocent — noisy, playful and harmless. Shenanigans carries a stronger suggestion of trickery or rule-bending, which is why you hear about financial shenanigans but never financial hijinks.
Is it hijinks or high jinks?
Both are correct. High jinks is the original two-word spelling and hijinks is the modern closed form, now the more common of the two, especially in American writing.
