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
Relevance
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!"
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for jesting
Noun
-
Expect conversations that catch you off-guard, and jokes that turn into shocking revelations.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
31 Oct. 2025 -
The Special Olympics are not amused after Kid Rock used an ableist slur while making a joke in a recent Fox News interview.—
Anthony Robledo,
USA Today,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Unlike following the loss in Philadelphia, the third-year swingman was in the Hornets’ locker room postgame in Washington and seemed to be in good spirits, joking with his teammates — including LaMelo Ball, who posted his first triple-double in nearly two years.—
Roderick Boone,
Charlotte Observer,
27 Oct. 2025
-
Blue Jays manager John Schneider reopened the free agency saga ahead of the World Series, joking about the gear that was used to recruit Ohtani (and a gift given to his dog, Decoy), which may have added some motivation behind the chants.—
Gabe Smallson,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
The kicking game was so bad that Freeman sounded like Brian Kelly at his sarcastic best when asked about Noah Burnette, Erik Schmidt and Marcello Diomede combining to miss two extra points and one field goal.—
Pete Sampson,
New York Times,
2 Nov. 2025
-
Reactions to the freestyle depended on whether or not you were tuned into its sarcastic frequency.—
Jeff Ihaza,
Rolling Stone,
30 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The movie has a brief mocking glimpse of MTV, just for a cheap laugh, when Springsteen is flipping channels between Badlands reruns.—
Rob Sheffield,
Rolling Stone,
2 Nov. 2025
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Come to see Stone get her head shaved, stay for big laughs, darkly incisive commentary, and incredible performances from Stone, Plemons, and newcomer Aidan Delbis in this absurdist black comedy.—
EW Staff,
Entertainment Weekly,
31 Oct. 2025
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
Noun
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Xi’s and Lee’s banter coincided with hints of warming relations between the two Asian nations.—
Eleanor Pringle,
Fortune,
3 Nov. 2025
-
Foodie Boyz are creating a following among younger listeners because of their banter and camaraderie.—
Stephanie Ganz,
Parents,
3 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
The action flows, the badinage is fast and fun.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
28 Aug. 2025
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Each bus has a pair of hosts, whose badinage is corny but crowd-pleasing.—
Patricia Marx,
New Yorker,
5 May 2025
Noun
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How did Betty manage the scenes with Ophelia, with their bawdy repartee?—
Adam Gopnik,
New Yorker,
20 Oct. 2025
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No one is better built than Leavy, a crafty veteran sportswriter, for between-innings repartee, wry asides, and tossed-off ideas for improving her beloved sport—and maybe even keeping its ever-looming obsolescence at bay for another decade or three.—
Mark Leibovich,
The Atlantic,
8 Oct. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Jesting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/jesting. Accessed 5 Nov. 2025.
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