as in badinage
good-natured teasing or exchanging of clever remarks
Luke had to put up with a lot of raillery from his sister the first time he asked a girl for a date
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of raillery
With time, their caustic raillery transforms into sincere attachment.
—
Charlie Tyson, The Atlantic, 13 May 2021
French’s evocation of place, a rural way of life and overall creepiness are superb, as is the dialogue, a festival of Irish raillery and repartee.
—Washington Post, 14 Oct. 2020
Some may feel, in this Trumpus Caesar summer, that such raillery, let alone the underlying idea of trying to understand why Americans have shot presidents, is an untoward or trite provocation.
—Jesse Green, New York Times, 13 July 2017
Charlie Tyson, The Atlantic, 13 May 2021
French’s evocation of place, a rural way of life and overall creepiness are superb, as is the dialogue, a festival of Irish raillery and repartee.
—Washington Post, 14 Oct. 2020
Some may feel, in this Trumpus Caesar summer, that such raillery, let alone the underlying idea of trying to understand why Americans have shot presidents, is an untoward or trite provocation.
—Jesse Green, New York Times, 13 July 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for raillery
Noun
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Each bus has a pair of hosts, whose badinage is corny but crowd-pleasing.—
Patricia Marx,
New Yorker,
5 May 2025
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In The Kitchen, Wesker tracked the decorum from friendly badinage to hostile vernacular that co-workers sustain just to get through the day.—
Armond White,
National Review,
30 Oct. 2024
Noun
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Like, just write 100 tunes and record them all (laughs).—
Ed Masley,
USA Today,
14 Aug. 2025
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Andrés joked in reply, prompting a laugh from Meghan.—
Janine Henni,
People.com,
12 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Following Colbert’s ongoing jokes at the president’s expense, Trump has celebrated the talk show’s demise.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
17 Aug. 2025
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Take the verdant Monsieur Chic from designer Brett Johnson’s debut trio of parfums, named after a running joke his late wife, Sarah, would deploy when he got dressed up for date nights.—
Justin Fenner,
Robb Report,
16 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Video episodes often include behind-the-scenes moments, visual gags, and extra banter not as noticeable in audio-only format.—
Hannah Parry
Anna Commander
Sonam Sheth,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 Aug. 2025
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Hinton grinned at the banter, but his tone shifted once talk turned to the central question of his later career: when will AI surpass the human mind?—
Ron Schmelzer,
Forbes.com,
12 Aug. 2025
Noun
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None of this will keep Republicans and conservatives from attacking the reconciliation bill with smoke, mirrors and persiflage.—
Michael Hiltzik,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Aug. 2022
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As Nixon’s political strategist, Kevin Phillips, told the New York Times in 1970: All the talk about Republicans making inroads into the Negro vote is persiflage.—
Jane Coaston,
Vox,
12 Oct. 2018
Noun
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With six new episodes, the sophomore season deepens the show’s mix of biting humor, surreal storytelling, and cultural commentary.—
Okla Jones,
Essence,
19 Aug. 2025
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Both directors rely on a kind of caustic humor to uncover the class struggle that has always complicated the colonial one.—
Lovia Gyarkye,
IndieWire,
19 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Balki and cousin Larry slipped right into their old repartee from the beloved ABC sitcom.—
Ryan Coleman Published,
EW.com,
14 July 2025
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His brother Richard Rosenthal is Somebody Feed Phil’s executive producer and showrunner; their on-camera repartee is a golden fan-favorite.—
Laura Manske,
Forbes.com,
18 June 2025
Noun
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Plus, the allover ribbing gives them a subtly textured look.—
Joana Ariza,
Glamour,
25 July 2025
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And our ribbing had not in the least shaken his confidence.—
Robeson Bailey,
Outdoor Life,
11 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Raillery.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/raillery. Accessed 23 Aug. 2025.
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