as in banter
good-natured teasing or exchanging of clever remarks
the sophisticated badinage of the characters in plays by Oscar Wilde
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Recent Examples of badinage
The action flows, the badinage is fast and fun.
—
Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 28 Aug. 2025
Each bus has a pair of hosts, whose badinage is corny but crowd-pleasing.
—Patricia Marx, New Yorker, 5 May 2025
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
While Hawley hasn’t left behind any of his signature philosophical dialogue or memorable badinage, Season 5 is also the most reliant on the camera to make its points.
—Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 13 Aug. 2024
The question of who was manipulating whom had been a meta thing in our conversations from the beginning, with jokey badinage about the power of interviewers and the vulnerability of their subjects.
—Laura Kipnis, WIRED, 5 Dec. 2023
But also present are Heyer’s wry humor and deftness in witty badinage.
—Katherine A. Powers, Washington Post, 10 Sep. 2022
The music is in the badinage.
—Peter Rainer, The Christian Science Monitor, 17 Dec. 2020
Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 28 Aug. 2025
Each bus has a pair of hosts, whose badinage is corny but crowd-pleasing.
—Patricia Marx, New Yorker, 5 May 2025
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
While Hawley hasn’t left behind any of his signature philosophical dialogue or memorable badinage, Season 5 is also the most reliant on the camera to make its points.
—Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 13 Aug. 2024
The question of who was manipulating whom had been a meta thing in our conversations from the beginning, with jokey badinage about the power of interviewers and the vulnerability of their subjects.
—Laura Kipnis, WIRED, 5 Dec. 2023
But also present are Heyer’s wry humor and deftness in witty badinage.
—Katherine A. Powers, Washington Post, 10 Sep. 2022
The music is in the badinage.
—Peter Rainer, The Christian Science Monitor, 17 Dec. 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for badinage
Noun
-
But rather than light-hearted banter, the messages took a cruel turn.—
Tereza Shkurtaj,
PEOPLE,
5 Oct. 2025
-
By contrast, Accra, the nation’s capital, with its Parliamentary Building and Black Star Square, is enlivened by streams of mellow banter and commerce.—
Edna Bonhomme,
Artforum,
1 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
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,
Washington Post,
14 Oct. 2020
Noun
-
Reddit users were quick to flood the post with excitement and jokes.—
Lydia Patrick,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Oct. 2025
-
And being Canadian, people do joke about that.—
Stephanie Nolasco,
FOXNews.com,
10 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
At one point, O’Steen was confused by a question, and the resulting back-and-forth was reminiscent of an Abbott and Costello repartee.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
12 Sep. 2025
-
Hoffman and Jonsson are both brilliant, vulnerable in their humanity in the face of such unfathomable conditions, but their repartee does seem forced and often maudlin.—
Gregory Nussen,
Deadline,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
In fact, the toddler's laugh can actually be heard on the record.—
Mark Gray,
PEOPLE,
5 Oct. 2025
-
Like most anthologies, horror or otherwise, they can be hit or miss, though just about every one of the individual segments in the franchise is good for a scare or at least a laugh.—
A.A. Dowd,
Vulture,
3 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
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
-
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
-
Likewise, romantic partners can achieve an easy understanding and practical give-and-take.—
Georgia Nicols,
Denver Post,
3 Oct. 2025
-
Obviously, this all involves a lot of give-and-take between the parties.—
Lew Sichelman,
Miami Herald,
1 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Kimmel’s peers, including Stephen Colbert, whose own CBS show was cancelled in similar fashion just a couple months ago, responded to the news with biting humor and clear solidarity.—
Olivia B. Waxman,
Time,
10 Oct. 2025
-
Additional humor comes from a very broad Farmiga, but the series forgets that Barbara exists for long stretches and rarely benefits from her presence.—
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
9 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Badinage.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/badinage. Accessed 12 Oct. 2025.
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