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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Some of it comes from the ether… from the ether going after Ethan [laughs].—
Andrea Flores,
Los Angeles Times,
25 May 2025
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Customers come and go, street merchants stop in to peddle their wares and the hair braiders bicker over clients, laugh, dance, watch African soap operas on TV and work until their fingers bleed.—
Pam Kragen,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
23 May 2025
Noun
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Here’s why and what happened CT proposal noted halfway across globe and becomes butt of jokes.—
Keith M. Phaneuf,
Hartford Courant,
25 May 2025
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The vibes are confusing, the itinerary is unclear, and Drew—ever the queen of chaos—jokes that naked bears might be involved.—
Shelby Stewart,
Essence,
25 May 2025
Noun
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Despite the verve of the film, there’s no there there — just an exercise in quippy banter and witty violence that works well enough to remind you of better movies.—
Alison Willmore,
Vulture,
23 May 2025
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Friendly banter and jokes were flying around the Loons’ dressing room after a dramatic 3-2 win over St. Louis City in the U.S. Open Cup round of 16 on Wednesday at Allianz Field.—
Andy Greder,
Twin Cities,
22 May 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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Sarkar writes with sharp humor and clarity, making complex ideas about power, identity and media feel accessible without dumbing them down.—
Newsweek Staff,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 May 2025
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There’s a lot of humor to be found on screen between the two of them.—
Destiny Jackson,
Deadline,
27 May 2025
Noun
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Most voters are worried about high prices for food, energy and housing, rather than their leader’s Oval Office repartee.—
Alexander Smith,
NBC news,
30 Mar. 2025
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For all his entertaining repartee, Hedges is keenly aware of when to lock in.—
Ken Rosenthal,
The Athletic,
25 Feb. 2025
Noun
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The plastic handle includes ribbings and grooves to allow for a more comfortable positioning of the hand.—
Renee Freemon Mulvihill,
Better Homes & Gardens,
29 Apr. 2025
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While his signature full head of hair sprung back to life after several washings, Swanson expects some residual good-natured ribbing from his Cubs teammates, as the first-place club looks to turn 2025 into its own potentially memorable winning campaign.—
Robert Channick,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Raillery.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/raillery. Accessed 2 Jun. 2025.
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