badinage

noun

ˌba-də-ˈnäzh How to pronounce badinage (audio)
Definition of badinagenext
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

Relevance

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for badinage
  1. banter
  2. raillery
  3. joke
  4. repartee
  5. laugh
  6. jesting
  7. persiflage
  8. give-and-take
Noun
  • The chemistry between the two leads is astounding, with both men encouraged to improvise during filming to make their banter feel authentic.
    — K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 3 July 2026
  • Bird and Morgan also appear in the special, which uses light banter and commentary to help viewers understand the athletes’ impact and achievements.
    — Brian Steinberg, Variety, 2 July 2026
Definition of banter
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
Definition of raillery
Noun
  • For a few hours, the disappearance was fodder for office jokes, Mélanie Brinbaum, Nestlé’s European head of marketing and consumer communications, tells Fortune.
    — Sam Birchall, Fortune, 20 July 2026
  • Poor Sirs Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen are back in the mix, reprising their X-Men roles, and somehow, Channing Tatum is Gambit, like, for real and not as a joke.
    — Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 20 July 2026
Definition of joke
Noun
  • To be sure, Maher’s ready wit and spontaneous repartee as a talk show host were central themes for the parade of chums who praised the honoree.
    — Paul Harris, Variety, 29 June 2026
  • 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.
    — Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 11 June 2026
Definition of repartee
Noun
  • Resplendent in a dark top and flowered scarves, Jackie has his hair ratted out, creating a kind of nimbus around his poignant, ready-to-laugh face, which is powdered white, with shiny, metallic-looking paillettes around the eyes.
    — Hilton Als, New Yorker, 17 July 2026
  • The dialogue, meanwhile, is played hilariously straight — good luck finding a laugh among these uncharted stars — and often consists of someone shouting another character's name.
    — Richard Edwards, Space.com, 17 July 2026
Definition of laugh
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
Definition of jesting
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
Definition of persiflage
Noun
  • In a strategic give-and-take, North Korea reaffirmed its support of China over the Taiwan issue, Ban said.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 9 June 2026
  • 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
Definition of give-and-take

Browse Nearby Words

badges
badinage
badland
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Badinage.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/badinage. Accessed 22 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of stalwart

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

Why do we say 'fly off the handle'?
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
thumbnail graphic with text word of the day quiz
Weekly "Word of the Day" Quiz See how well you know each Word of the Day for Ju...
See All