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
-
Nikki Glaser applauds Joan’s candor about aging and plastic surgery, and Aubrey Plaza retires Joan’s not-so-politically-correct jokes.—
Erin Jensen,
USA Today,
14 May 2025 -
The gimmick of the game show is interesting, though the prize money is a joke.—
Tony Maglio,
HollywoodReporter,
12 May 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
-
Green’s teammate, Moses Moody, gave a sarcastic response to Brooks’ assertion.—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
25 Apr. 2025
-
It was followed by a sarcastic post targeting Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.).—
Ashleigh Fields,
The Hill,
16 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Photos were taken, laughs were shared and much of the cast gave each other warm embraces all evening.—
Brayden Garcia,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
13 May 2025
-
Since Carter and Andersen could make each other laugh, that was enough.—
John Tamny,
Forbes.com,
13 May 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
-
Following some playful online banter, the two took their connection offline and met up in person.—
Tabitha Parent,
People.com,
5 May 2025
-
The show, with its journalistically murky blend of news and casual banter, serves the administration’s needs in a few ways, the report suggested.—
Megan Garber,
The Atlantic,
2 May 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
-
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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For all his entertaining repartee, Hedges is keenly aware of when to lock in.—
Ken Rosenthal,
The Athletic,
25 Feb. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Jesting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/jesting. Accessed 21 May. 2025.
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