tease

tease

noun

Definition of TEASE

1

a person who causes repeated emotional pain, distress, or annoyance to another <she can be a very cruel tease when she happens upon an unpopular girl who is easily hurt>

Synonyms baiter, harasser, heckler, mocker, needler, persecutor, quiz, quizzer, ridiculer, taunter, tease, teaser, torturer

Related Words belittler, derider, detractor, giber (or jiber), insulter, jeerer, scoffer, scorner; trash-talker; smart aleck (also smart alec), smarty (or smartie), smarty-pants, wiseacre, wiseguy; kidder, lampooner, satirist; accuser, blamer, troublemaker; assailant, attacker, molester, victimizer; bother, disturber, pest

Near Antonyms defender, deliverer, guard, protector, rescuer, savior (or saviour); comforter, consoler, solace, soother, succorer; bodyguard, champion

2

one who is obnoxiously annoying <my youngest brother is a complete tease, following me around everywhere and aping my every move>

Synonyms annoyance, annoyer, bother, gadfly, gnawer, nudnik (also nudnick), pain, persecutor, pest, tease, teaser

Related Words headache; harrier, heckler, interrupter (also interruptor); hassle, plague; harasser, molester, tormentor (also tormenter), torturer

Near Antonyms charmer, smoothy (or smoothie); comforter, solacer, soother