as in banter
good-natured teasing or exchanging of clever remarks
the sophisticated badinage of the characters in plays by Oscar Wilde
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
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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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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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New Delhi — What started as an online joke has now spilled onto the streets of India’s capital.
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Jan Paul van Hecke, a center-back who saw action on all parts of the pitch by both defending and scoring a goal, praised how the field held up — while also making a joke.
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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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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None of this will keep Republicans and conservatives from attacking the reconciliation bill with smoke, mirrors and persiflage.
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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.
Noun
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In a strategic give-and-take, North Korea reaffirmed its support of China over the Taiwan issue, Ban said.
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More give-and-take is required for the public-sector to deliver what enterprises need to maximize AI’s value.
Cite this Entry
“Badinage.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/badinage. Accessed 29 Jun. 2026.
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