Thesaurus results for CHAFFING

chaffing 1 of 2

adjective

as in joking

marked by or expressive of mild or good-natured teasing a chaffing tone to Dad's discussion of my sister's new boyfriend

Synonyms & Similar Words

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chaffing

2 of 2

verb

present participle of chaff

as in teasing

to make fun of in a good-natured way chaffed her about the brightly colored shirt she had received as a gift

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in funning

to make jokes a coworker who likes to chaff at others' expense, and this often results in hurt feelings

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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 chaffing

Verb

The Mulberry silk blend material, meantime, is soft and gentle against the skin, reducing fine lines caused by frequent rubbing or chaffing. — Tim Chan, Footwear News, 18 Feb. 2026 Water repellent fabrics will keep you dry to prevent chilling and chaffing. — James Edward Mills, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Aug. 2024

Recent Examples of Synonyms for chaffing

Adjective

Cotton-cashmere ribbing blends softness and structure for a lightweight tank that always looks as intended.

— Paris Wilson, Travel + Leisure, 1 June 2026
The Bay Area and Silicon Valley has always been ripe for both some ribbing and some potent storytelling on the big and small screen, due to its colorful history and its current role as capitol of the American technological zeitgeist.

— Randy Myers, Mercury News, 7 Apr. 2026

Definition of ribbing

Verb

There was a few months of speculation that Grande and Álvarez had reunited, with Grande coyly teasing their coupledom.

— Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 22 Aug. 2026
New series regular Da’Vinchi, whose character is the same rank, shared a photo from set on Thursday, August 20, teasing the casting.

— Denise Petski, Deadline, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of teasing

Verb

To this day, Ryan still isn’t sure if Hanks was being serious or joking.

— Ashlyn Robinette, PEOPLE, 21 Aug. 2026
The beverage brands Liquid Death and Garage Beer teamed up to create the ad, which features former NFL player Jason Kelce joking about using people’s pee to cool the AI data centers.

— Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of joking

Verb

But Guthrie wasn’t kidding, slipping into a yellow gingham dress before joining her co-hosts on the Today Show Plaza to greet visitors.

— Rachel McRady, PEOPLE, 7 July 2026
Just kidding, but seeing Angela’s team sweep Shamea’s at the Bailey Bowl basketball tournament was almost as satisfying as knowing Charles got to witness his former team’s historic win in person.

— Ile-Ife Okantah, Vulture, 22 June 2026

Definition of kidding

Browse Nearby Words

chaffer (with)

chaffing

chaffs

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Style

“Chaffing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chaffing. Accessed 25 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of chaffing

adjective

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

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