as in joking
marked by or expressive of mild or good-natured teasing
made jesting comments about my need for serious fashion advice
Synonyms & Similar Words
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as in joke
good-natured teasing or exchanging of clever remarks
lots of laughter and elbow-nudging jesting at family reunions
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in bantering
to make jokes
when I asked my sister for a loan, she laughingly replied, "Surely you jest!"
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of jesting
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
Any amount of singing or jesting will be heard by all.
—
Kansas City Star,
24 Mar. 2026
Language There’s some crude language, jesting, and mature comedic themes, but but nothing the modern tween or teen hasn’t seen or heard before.
—
Lynnette Nicholas,
Parents,
8 Dec. 2025
Thomas Tracy,
New York Daily News,
25 Feb. 2026
So much so that a cheeky George Clooney let loose a certain four-letter word while jesting about a fellow actor.
—
Kimi Robinson,
USA Today,
10 Jan. 2026
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
Any amount of singing or jesting will be heard by all.
—
Kansas City Star,
24 Mar. 2026
Language There’s some crude language, jesting, and mature comedic themes, but but nothing the modern tween or teen hasn’t seen or heard before.
—
Lynnette Nicholas,
Parents,
8 Dec. 2025
Verb
Mamdani has said nobody should throw snowballs at cops — jesting that the public should throw them at him instead — but does not see it as a criminal matter.
—
Thomas Tracy,
New York Daily News,
25 Feb. 2026
So much so that a cheeky George Clooney let loose a certain four-letter word while jesting about a fellow actor.
—
Kimi Robinson,
USA Today,
10 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for jesting
Adjective
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There were the polite claps after good attacks by the Swiss, sarcastic whistles by the Qatari fans after their team again failed to mount a threat.
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When the 10th batter (Dalton Rushing) struck out for the first out of the inning, the diminished number of Pirates fans still on hand gave a sarcastic cheer for their team’s stick-to-itiveness.
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.
Verb
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Thursday evening, joking about his suspension last year for his comments about reactions to conservator commentator Charlie Kirk’s death.
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Sudano said his son was a good kid who was outgoing, always joking and good-hearted.
Noun
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The fallout of that inquiry—to which Joe and Angela gamely acquiesce—generates its share of laughs, though our amusement comes at a cost.
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There are definitely laughs in Maddie’s Secret, but the point of the movie is almost to get beyond them, to the place where naive hokum could yield moments of inexplicable resonance.
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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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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Left on their own, boisterous badinage between old school British thespian Shaw and giggly, hyper-ventilating wannabe movie star Dreyfuss has taken hold.
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The action flows, the badinage is fast and fun.
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.
Cite this Entry
“Jesting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/jesting. Accessed 26 Jun. 2026.
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