jesting 1 of 3

adjective

as in joking
marked by or expressive of mild or good-natured teasing made jesting comments about my need for serious fashion advice

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jesting

2 of 3

noun

as in joke
good-natured teasing or exchanging of clever remarks lots of laughter and elbow-nudging jesting at family reunions

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jesting

3 of 3

verb

present participle of jest
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

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 jesting
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
  1. sarcastic
  2. joke
  3. joking
  4. laugh
  5. raillery
  6. banter
  7. badinage
  8. repartee
Adjective
  • Meanwhile, Rogen and Nanjiani manage to steal multiple scenes as the voices of the ladies’ cats Dio and GG, two sarcastic felines who are fed up with their burnout owners.
    — Glenn Garner, Deadline, 12 Aug. 2026
  • This was Perez Hilton, after all, a man who had earned fame in the mid-two-thousands for his salacious, sarcastic, and often sadistic coverage of celebrity suffering.
    — Brady Brickner-Wood, New Yorker, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of sarcastic
Noun
  • The jokes have continued nearly nonstop — and not all are coming from the man in the can with a 20-point plan.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 10 Aug. 2026
  • There is nothing, no drama, no insight, not even a joke other than the one NeNe makes about Porsha swimming in the lady pond.
    — Brian Moylan, Vulture, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of joke
Verb
  • The three were smiling and joking, seemingly unaware of any impending attack, the images indicate.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 5 Aug. 2026
  • The au naturel prix-fixes ignited controversy the moment the restaurant’s flyer started circulating on social media in late June, with most chatter ranging from joking to serious, bawdy to scandalized.
    — Phillip Valys, Sun Sentinel, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of joking
Noun
  • But there are plenty of affirmative laughs in her roughly 65-minute set, tickets to which are not cheap.
    — Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 7 Aug. 2026
  • There’s not enough conflict to drive the narrative, and not enough laughs to liven up the dead spots.
    — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of laugh
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
  • These relationships are all rooted in banter and talking over each other, which can start to sound very same-y and homogeneous.
    — Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Like that film, this new movie finds most of its sexiness in the chemistry and playful banter between its attractive stars.
    — David Mack, CNN Money, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of banter
Noun
  • 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
Definition of badinage
Noun
  • Faith King and Josiah Fagerstrom both deliver delightfully prickly repartee as their characters gradually manage to surpass archetype.
    — Jared Kaufman, Twin Cities, 10 Aug. 2026
  • 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
Definition of repartee

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Cite this Entry

“Jesting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/jesting. Accessed 15 Aug. 2026.

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