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
-
The site’s users took great joy in watching the feud in real time, responding to the showdown between the president and the world’s wealthiest man with jokes and memes.—
Dani Di Placido,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2025 -
Surrounded by her animals at home, Lin watched re-runs of The Big Bang Theory, practicing the cadence of the words, the rising sound of a joke, the pacing of each phrase.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
6 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
-
Still, Ernst shared a sarcastic apology video after facing criticism from Democrats over her response to the town hall attendees' concerns.—
Savannah Kuchar,
USA Today,
2 June 2025
-
The vibe, never exactly cheerful, and never leavened by a hint of even the most sarcastic sense of humor, takes a turn for the horrific one evening in the wake of the bawdy revels celebrating Tomek’s wedding.—
Jessica Kiang,
Variety,
30 May 2025
Noun
-
There are a lot of fun moments during the annual Big Slick weekend in Kansas City, and the laughs are shared by the celebrities who take part as well as the audience at the softball game and the gala.—
Pete Grathoff,
Kansas City Star,
5 June 2025
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More laughs ensued when Barton asked if Ulvaeus has ever asked AI programs to write ABBA lyrics.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
4 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
-
Everyone was wonderful and the banter was terrific.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
31 May 2025
-
Lorelai and Rory Gilmore, Gilmore Girls The coolest mother and daughter in Stars Hollow have become a streaming mainstay thanks to their quick-witted banter — and early-aughts New England style.—
Lindy Segal,
People.com,
29 May 2025
Noun
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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
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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 10 Jun. 2025.
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