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!"
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of jesting
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
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
Noun
-
As the Ado Annie-like Betsy, a horny teen-ager whose father owns a shotgun, Kurtz is playing a character who should be, and kind of is, a one-joke punch line.—
Emily Nussbaum,
New Yorker,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Complaints about hospital food are certainly not new, and Jell-O and fruit juice are often the butt of related jokes.—
Stephanie Armour,
CBS News,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
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DaPron and Neeley have frequently posted TikTok videos together of them joking about butting heads as sisters, playing tennis and participating in trends.—
Caroline Blair,
PEOPLE,
23 Apr. 2026
-
Liam keeps joking about it on Twitter.—
Andy Greene,
Rolling Stone,
21 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Middle of Nowhere’s Kacey is witty, a bit sarcastic, alternately ecstatic and frustrated but always ready to entertain.—
Molly Mary O’Brien,
Pitchfork,
1 May 2026
-
According to a live feed from The New York Times, within minutes of the third day starting, Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers had to reproach Musk, instructing him to stop being sarcastic and evasive.—
Ashley Belanger,
ArsTechnica,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
McDaniels, who cut through the Nuggets’ egos early in the series with fearless words and a smug grin, got the last laugh.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
1 May 2026
-
Her laugh was loud and heartfelt.—
Laura Rodríguez Presa,
Chicago Tribune,
1 May 2026
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
-
Their banter is empty because outside the season’s premiere, The Boys hasn’t actually shown us this awful America, and how everyone within it, including celebrities, are at risk.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Bringing his bag of insane tricks and witty banter to the Wilshire Ebell Theatre for two nights on May 8 and 9, Willman’s crowd work, storytelling and intricate tricks are inspired by everyday life.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Apr. 2026
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
Noun
-
Finally, in overcoming this vexing moment, the two would establish a painterly repartee that altered the trajectory of their own work and, by extension, modern art.—
Susan Tallman,
The New York Review of Books,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Lindsay-Abaire’s multidirectional repartee gets added zip from the first-rate cast, especially Margaret Colin as the unapologetically blunt Ruth.—
Sheldon Pearce,
New Yorker,
24 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Jesting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/jesting. Accessed 4 May. 2026.
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