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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Example Sentences
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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
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His seamless banter throughout the night provided laughs and comfort for fans.—
Kristen Wisneski,
Billboard,
29 Sep. 2025
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But the banter took a darker turn as the match moved into the afternoon.—
Devlina Sarkar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 Sep. 2025
Noun
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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
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The uproar was centered around conservative outcry over a joke Kimmel told last week about the suspect accused of shooting Charlie Kirk.—
Jon Blistein,
Rolling Stone,
26 Sep. 2025
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This leads to many, many, many jokes about Chad’s diminished mental capacity, including references to Radio, Slingblade and more.—
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
26 Sep. 2025
Noun
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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
-
McIlroy got the last laugh, though.—
Kendall Capps,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 Sep. 2025
-
Both donning their iconic dark sunglasses at the indoor event, the pair shared a hug and a laugh backstage.—
Andrew McGowan,
Variety,
27 Sep. 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
-
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
-
Could a chatbot toy undermine the natural give-and-take of family interaction?—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
31 Aug. 2025
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Here's a look at the give-and-take the City and the developer are working on working out.—
Hannah Kirby,
jsonline.com,
20 Aug. 2025
Noun
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The film’s abundant humor and humanity are both rooted in DiCaprio’s ability to contain both of those people at once — to span the distance between those opposite shores while flailing towards each of them with equal desperation.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
26 Sep. 2025
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In fact, early reviews have consistently brought up the film's humor and wit, and that feedback has also made its way to the cast.—
Lauren Huff,
Entertainment Weekly,
26 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Badinage.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/badinage. Accessed 2 Oct. 2025.
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