persiflage

noun

ˈpər-si-ˌfläzh How to pronounce persiflage (audio)
Definition of persiflagenext
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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for persiflage
  1. joke
  2. raillery
  3. badinage
  4. banter
  5. laugh
  6. jesting
  7. repartee
  8. humor
Noun
  • Now the adults are growing up a little bit, and that adds depth to the show but doesn’t sacrifice jokes.
    — Emily Gould, Vulture, 24 Aug. 2026
  • His cutlery’s subtly unusual proportions manage to be elegant and playful at the same time, like that perfect joke that lands gracefully at a cocktail party, where everyone laughs and nobody chortles.
    — Emily Watlington, ARTnews.com, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of joke
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
Definition of raillery
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
Definition of badinage
Noun
  • As the cards are dealt, playful banter turns to honest conversation about love, friendship, and the blurred lines between the two.
    — Armando Tinoco, Deadline, 20 Aug. 2026
  • There’s a lot of fun banter and behind the scenes people haven’t seen yet.
    — Lexi Carson, HollywoodReporter, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of banter
Noun
  • Gone was the terror of wondering if the piece that was about to air was going to get big enough laughs from the live audience.
    — Merrill Markoe, Deadline, 21 Aug. 2026
  • But that blend of raucous laughs (OK, well, some raucous laughs, some mere attempts at them) and real world concerns makes for an uneasy watch, ping-ponging between moods and tones in unpredictable ways.
    — Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of laugh
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
Definition of jesting
Noun
  • Through rapid-fire verbal repartee, constant close-ups, and frantic cuts, Deramas treads a careful line between tragedy and comedy, the latter a psychological weapon against the former.
    — Lé Baltar, IndieWire, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Faith King and Josiah Fagerstrom both deliver delightfully prickly repartee as their characters gradually manage to surpass archetype.
    — Jared Kaufman, Twin Cities, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of repartee
Noun
  • But it was filled with quicksilver, roller-coaster displays of virtuosity and the sly humor Lutoslawski and fellow Polish composer and pianist Andrzej Panufnik brought to their Paganini variations in its original 1941 iteration.
    — George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Aug. 2026
  • Follow rebellious 16-year-old Holden Caufield to New York City in Catcher in the Rye, in a tale that will evoke both humor and empathy from readers in equal measure.
    — Caroline Rogers, Southern Living, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of humor

Browse Nearby Words

Persian lambs
persiflage
persist
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Cite this Entry

“Persiflage.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/persiflage. Accessed 26 Aug. 2026.

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