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
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Recent Examples of chaffing
James Edward Mills, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Aug. 2024
Verb
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
Verb
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Humphrey's work consists of reviewing thousands of messages and tags, seeking permission from original video creators and balancing humor with teasing.—
Kate Perez,
USA Today,
14 Feb. 2026
-
Netflix released a trailer on Friday teasing what’s to come from the remaining four episodes, which are set to drop on February 26.—
Katie Campione,
Deadline,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Obama dismissed those rumors, joking that if aliens existed and were being concealed, even the president was not in on it.—
Adisa Hargett-Robinson,
The Washington Examiner,
15 Feb. 2026
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The night had begun with Evangelos Marinakis laughing and joking on the touchline with injured defender Murillo.—
Paul Taylor,
New York Times,
12 Feb. 2026
Verb
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There are also cool maps on the local prevalence of certain health conditions, from arthritis and asthma to cancer and high cholesterol to diabetes and depression to — not kidding here — where people have lost all their teeth.—
Teri Sforza,
Oc Register,
11 Feb. 2026
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Literally toxic lesbians — kidding.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
1 Dec. 2025
Adjective
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Their trademark humor — that mix of cheeky absurdism and brotherly ribbing — is fully intact, recalling their ‘60s press conferences that won the hearts of a suspicious media.—
Jordan Runtagh,
PEOPLE,
27 Nov. 2025
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This strapless bra delivers a surprising amount of support and structure, with a longline silhouette, hook-and-eye closure, and subtle ribbing that give it a slightly corset-like feel.—
Malia Griggs,
Glamour,
26 Nov. 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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Tom Lester played Eb Dawson, the Douglases' sarcastic young farmhand.—
Meredith Wilshere,
PEOPLE,
25 Jan. 2026
-
The worse things are going, the more bitter and sarcastic my humor sometimes gets.—
Kenna Hughes-Castleberry,
Space.com,
24 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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With quizzical eyes upon it, Players Era announced that its checks ultimately cleared a couple weeks later, with most of the money routed through schools’ dedicated NIL collectives.—
Eben Novy-Williams,
Sportico.com,
17 Feb. 2026
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Baker initially shot Benard a quizzical look.—
Graham Womack,
Sacbee.com,
3 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Chaffing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chaffing. Accessed 19 Feb. 2026.
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