as in joke
good-natured teasing or exchanging of clever remarks
their tongue-in-cheek persiflage is sometimes mistaken for an exchange of insults by people who don't know them
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of persiflage
None of this will keep Republicans and conservatives from attacking the reconciliation bill with smoke, mirrors and persiflage.
—
Michael Hiltzik,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Aug. 2022
As Nixon’s political strategist, Kevin Phillips, told the New York Times in 1970:
All the talk about Republicans making inroads into the Negro vote is persiflage.
—
Jane Coaston,
Vox,
12 Oct. 2018
Michael Hiltzik,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Aug. 2022
As Nixon’s political strategist, Kevin Phillips, told the New York Times in 1970:
All the talk about Republicans making inroads into the Negro vote is persiflage.
—
Jane Coaston,
Vox,
12 Oct. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for persiflage
Noun
-
Their purpose was partly decorative and partly protective, but the visual joke became unavoidable.—
Peter Lyon,
Forbes.com,
18 June 2026
-
The fierce woman who always wore black, who could light up a room with her sly jokes and smoky laughter, grew quieter and more fragile after losing her lover.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 June 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
-
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
-
Meanwhile, sitcoms like Friends marked a movement toward irony in comedy with its trademark tongue-in-cheek banter and sarcasm, Thompson explains.—
Liz Regalia,
Parents,
23 June 2026
-
Relationships could feel expressive, dramatic or oddly revealing today, but beneath the banter is a deeper question about emotional security.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
19 June 2026
Noun
-
The fallout of that inquiry—to which Joe and Angela gamely acquiesce—generates its share of laughs, though our amusement comes at a cost.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
19 June 2026
-
There are definitely laughs in Maddie’s Secret, but the point of the movie is almost to get beyond them, to the place where naive hokum could yield moments of inexplicable resonance.—
Alison Willmore,
Vulture,
19 June 2026
Noun
-
Hudson showed some subtle support for the jesting knocks to her boyfriend by reposting a clip of his final joke shared on Fox News' official X page.—
Zoey Lyttle,
PEOPLE,
18 May 2026
-
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
Noun
-
The two-minute trailer includes a recreation of the famous sailor-kissing-a-nurse photo from V-J Day, a woman insulting David’s butter churning, some trench warfare repartee about the looks of a soldier’s love back at home, the Boston Tea Party, and jokes about child labor.—
Kory Grow,
Rolling Stone,
11 June 2026
-
That’s welcome repartee at any age, much less at Fangio’s 67.—
Brooks Kubena,
New York Times,
22 May 2026
Noun
-
Blending live action and animation, the digital shorts pair Pratt’s curiosity and humor with Goodwin’s historical expertise and fact-checking to highlight America’s founding ideals.—
Matt Donnelly,
Variety,
18 June 2026
-
Sacred stories full of courage and humor and grace, and that each of those stories in some way connected to my own.—
Sara Tenenbaum,
CBS News,
18 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Persiflage.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/persiflage. Accessed 25 Jun. 2026.
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