as in joke
good-natured teasing or exchanging of clever remarks
their tongue-in-cheek persiflage is sometimes mistaken for an exchange of insults by people who don't know them
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for persiflage
Noun
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As the escape-room activity kicks off — the guests have 30 minutes to find Aesha’s crew — the boys find plenty of opportunity to make insinuating jokes about tying up the girls, some (Coop) more wholesome than others (Luke).
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And as a distant relative jokes, many can be found on mortgages, loans and other debts.
Noun
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With time, their caustic raillery transforms into sincere attachment.
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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.
Noun
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Left on their own, boisterous badinage between old school British thespian Shaw and giggly, hyper-ventilating wannabe movie star Dreyfuss has taken hold.
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The action flows, the badinage is fast and fun.
Noun
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Meanwhile, sitcoms like Friends marked a movement toward irony in comedy with its trademark tongue-in-cheek banter and sarcasm, Thompson explains.
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Relationships could feel expressive, dramatic or oddly revealing today, but beneath the banter is a deeper question about emotional security.
Noun
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Steele’s portrayal of imperious, glamorous Tanya provides some of the show’s biggest laughs.
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What makes this such an exhilarating watch is how the performers navigate every passive-aggressive aside, every catty comment, every choice bit of annoying behavior played for laughs, pathos, or both at once.
Noun
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Hudson showed some subtle support for the jesting knocks to her boyfriend by reposting a clip of his final joke shared on Fox News' official X page.
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No matter what happened, Dunham could not seem to help posting through it, her public persona one of infinite jesting confession.
Noun
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The two-minute trailer includes a recreation of the famous sailor-kissing-a-nurse photo from V-J Day, a woman insulting David’s butter churning, some trench warfare repartee about the looks of a soldier’s love back at home, the Boston Tea Party, and jokes about child labor.
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That’s welcome repartee at any age, much less at Fangio’s 67.
Noun
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Things seem to be going well; Lord Walder accepts Robb’s apology with cantankerous humor, and offers the Starks his full hospitality for the duration of the wedding.
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Framed as a feel-good drama with heart and humor, the series pairs a distinctly offbeat legal premise with a heavyweight creative package led by Weaving.
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Cite this Entry
“Persiflage.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/persiflage. Accessed 1 Jul. 2026.
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