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
-
Sports officials have been the target of jokes and ire from fans for as long as sports have existed.—
Chris Vannini,
New York Times,
18 June 2025 -
And like a sick joke from south of the border, the Avs would go on to win three titles.—
David Close,
CNN Money,
17 June 2025
Verb
-
For myself and many of my classmates, the four-story Forever 21 in Times Square was the most exciting part of our senior-class trip to New York City—not joking!—
Kaitlyn Tiffany,
The Atlantic,
18 Mar. 2025
-
And, everyone was joking about it behind his back.—
Todd Nordstrom,
Forbes,
14 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
His father, observing his children’s unconventional career choices, eventually developed his own sarcastic advice for parents.—
Omaid Homayun,
Forbes.com,
24 June 2025
-
Idiotic rich boy Bertie Wooster gets himself into some kind of sticky situation with another rich idiot, and his quietly sarcastic, above-it-all, genius butler Jeeves inevitably gets him out of it.—
Brian Boone,
Vulture,
18 June 2025
Noun
-
Her spirit, her fire, her talent, her leadership, her laugh — unforgettable.—
Dave Nemetz,
TVLine,
17 June 2025
-
Y'all gave me a good laugh this morning, so thanks for that!—
Levi Weaver,
New York Times,
17 June 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
-
Kelly’s return to Detroit — his first one as a big-league manager — and his latest reunion with Hinch made for eventful pregame banter.—
Cody Stavenhagen,
New York Times,
18 June 2025
-
Between bites and banter, the women learn about Jab Jab—a Grenadian tradition rooted in resistance.—
Shelby Stewart,
Essence,
15 June 2025
Noun
-
Each bus has a pair of hosts, whose badinage is corny but crowd-pleasing.—
Patricia Marx,
New Yorker,
5 May 2025
-
In The Kitchen, Wesker tracked the decorum from friendly badinage to hostile vernacular that co-workers sustain just to get through the day.—
Armond White,
National Review,
30 Oct. 2024
Noun
-
His brother Richard Rosenthal is Somebody Feed Phil’s executive producer and showrunner; their on-camera repartee is a golden fan-favorite.—
Laura Manske,
Forbes.com,
18 June 2025
-
Most voters are worried about high prices for food, energy and housing, rather than their leader’s Oval Office repartee.—
Alexander Smith,
NBC news,
30 Mar. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Jesting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/jesting. Accessed 1 Jul. 2025.
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