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
Left on their own, boisterous badinage between old school British thespian Shaw and giggly, hyper-ventilating wannabe movie star Dreyfuss has taken hold.
—
Christopher Smith, Oc Register, 10 Mar. 2026
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
Christopher Smith, Oc Register, 10 Mar. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for badinage
Noun
-
Their tart banter in the Netflix hit doesn't rise to the toxic levels of their Roses relationship; in fact, the characters’ relationship ends on a more bittersweet and reflective note, as opposed to the movie’s grim comeuppance.—
Jesse Hassenger,
Entertainment Weekly,
1 June 2026
-
Trying to have a bit of a laugh and banter with it.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
1 June 2026
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
-
And yet, Chisholm’s chat with Fallon sparked some jokes and blowback after the host asked the colorful character what the Yankees’ ultimate goal is this season.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
4 June 2026
-
The majority of the jokes come off as more asserted than delighted.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
4 June 2026
Noun
-
At the heart of this very British invasion’s appeal, beyond the revelatory historical detail and sharp insights, is the friendship and repartee between the two hosts.—
Sean Woods,
Rolling Stone,
25 May 2026
-
That’s welcome repartee at any age, much less at Fangio’s 67.—
Brooks Kubena,
New York Times,
22 May 2026
Noun
-
The quest to find the better joke, the stronger laugh—that’s reason enough to keep on living.—
Michael Schulman,
New Yorker,
29 May 2026
-
These people had huge laughs Thursday morning over their airport Bloody Marys after realizing their words were treated as if serious.—
Joe Rexrode,
New York Times,
29 May 2026
Noun
-
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.—
Zoey Lyttle,
PEOPLE,
18 May 2026
-
No matter what happened, Dunham could not seem to help posting through it, her public persona one of infinite jesting confession.—
Madeline Leung Coleman,
Vulture,
14 Apr. 2026
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
-
More give-and-take is required for the public-sector to deliver what enterprises need to maximize AI’s value.—
Tarek Nseir,
Forbes.com,
27 May 2026
-
This is the give in the give-and-take relationship between DOJ and its online audience.—
Quinta Jurecic,
The Atlantic,
21 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Badinage.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/badinage. Accessed 8 Jun. 2026.
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