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
Relevance
1
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
2
as in funning
to make jokes
a coworker who likes to chaff at others' expense, and this often results in hurt feelings
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for chaffing
Verb
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Despite initially teasing a retirement from touring back in 2022, the band has decided to reverse course and get their wigs back into fighting shape.—
Devon Ivie,
Vulture,
25 Sep. 2025 -
The singer has been busy lately teasing the follow-up to his 2022 sophomore LP, Faith in the Future, telling fans earlier this month that the untitled album is nearly complete.—
Gil Kaufman,
Billboard,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Many users commiserated over the delay, many joking about the United States Postal Service and the mysteries of lost mail.—
Daniella Gray,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Sep. 2025
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Reid made light of the incident, joking that Kelce caught him off balance.—
Jesse Newell,
New York Times,
22 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Pat Kelsey wasn't kidding about wanting the smoke.—
Leo Bertucci,
The Courier-Journal,
2 Sep. 2025
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In 2019, Lebanese depositors discovered that their banking system had, in effect, just been kidding about those savings accounts.—
Graeme Wood,
The Atlantic,
2 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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To get a sense of his whole deal, look no further than the half-mocking, half-earnest title of his latest album, Country!—
Jonathan Bernstein,
Rolling Stone,
23 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Notably absent was Jennette McCurdy, who played Carly's sarcastic sidekick Sam in the original series.—
Anna Kaufman,
USA Today,
25 Sep. 2025
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Denise – scrappy, sarcastic, and clever – at first was hostile towards Steven, but that passionate annoyance later evolved into teasing, affectionate companionship.—
Sarah John,
Vulture,
24 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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In a YouTube video, the robot’s head glances around with a quizzical expression and blinks in a way that is eerily lifelike.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
22 Sep. 2025
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Louie is summoned to the apartment of Joe Black, a higher-up gangster played by John Malkovich with a manner so quizzical yet threatening that his voice just about quivers with unexpressed rage.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
3 Sep. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Chaffing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chaffing. Accessed 29 Sep. 2025.
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