1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

raillery

noun

ˈrā-lə-rē How to pronounce raillery (audio)
Definition of raillerynext
as in badinage
good-natured teasing or exchanging of clever remarks Luke had to put up with a lot of raillery from his sister the first time he asked a girl for a date

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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 raillery 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, 14 Oct. 2020 Some may feel, in this Trumpus Caesar summer, that such raillery, let alone the underlying idea of trying to understand why Americans have shot presidents, is an untoward or trite provocation. — Jesse Green, New York Times, 13 July 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for raillery
  1. badinage
  2. laugh
  3. joke
  4. jesting
  5. banter
  6. persiflage
  7. humor
  8. repartee
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
  • Additionally, Richard Kind as the mayor’s put-upon press secretary also generates laughs.
    — Miles Beller, HollywoodReporter, 17 Sep. 2026
  • On the set of Ryan Murphy’s retelling of that story, however, his cast managed to get in lots of laughs.
    — Joan Kennedy, Vogue, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of laugh
Noun
  • The group-chat joke lands because many young people know exactly what’s in their checking account, and still want to make room for what makes life feel good.
    — Tatiana Sataua, Fortune, 20 Sep. 2026
  • Read this book for hilarious jokes, different types of friends, and fresh starts.
    — Kavya Dhillon, Parents, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of joke
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
  • Gilhaus, Schneider and Cambree Sussex embody the friendly banter and interwoven relationships of Cy-Hawk week.
    — Scott Dochterman, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Their easy banter in a new AD video tour of the film set feels instantly familiar, echoing the dynamic between sisters Sally (Bullock) and Gillian Owens (Kidman) nearly three decades after Practical Magic first cast its spell on audiences in 1998.
    — Livia Caligor, Architectural Digest, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of banter
Noun
  • 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
Definition of persiflage
Noun
  • Abrams is fantastic as the bumbling protagonist, and Cregger injects a healthy dose of humor, gore, Easter eggs, and scares into the new adaptation.
    — Savannah Salazar, Vulture, 18 Sep. 2026
  • While audiences will find plenty of humor in this film, its subject matter is serious—as is Wilson.
    — Lila Allen, Architectural Digest, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of humor
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

Browse Nearby Words

railings
raillery
railroad
See all Nearby Words

Podcast

Theme music by Joshua Stamper ©2006 New Jerusalem Music/ASCAP

Cite this Entry

“Raillery.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/raillery. Accessed 22 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of nemesis

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 18
See More

Popular

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
crayons-in-a-circle
Guess the Color Quiz Questions that use the whole box of crayons.
See All