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
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Example Sentences
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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
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
Noun
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The action flows, the badinage is fast and fun.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
28 Aug. 2025
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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
Noun
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Rob Gibson, Easy Tiger CEO, says comedy is always a tough sell because people are worried about whether the laughs will land.—
Paul Chai,
Variety,
11 Oct. 2025
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The script has eye rolling scenes mixed with laugh out loud moments.—
Bryan West,
Nashville Tennessean,
10 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Reddit users were quick to flood the post with excitement and jokes.—
Lydia Patrick,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Oct. 2025
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And being Canadian, people do joke about that.—
Stephanie Nolasco,
FOXNews.com,
10 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Too much of the banter is sloppy and too many of her mistakes are avoidable.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
13 Oct. 2025
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This powerhouse of a cast makes sure the audience is kept laughing with their quick-witted banter and clever physical comedy.—
Rebecca Angel Baer,
Southern Living,
11 Oct. 2025
Noun
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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
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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
Noun
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Kimmel’s peers, including Stephen Colbert, whose own CBS show was cancelled in similar fashion just a couple months ago, responded to the news with biting humor and clear solidarity.—
Olivia B. Waxman,
Time,
10 Oct. 2025
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Additional humor comes from a very broad Farmiga, but the series forgets that Barbara exists for long stretches and rarely benefits from her presence.—
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
9 Oct. 2025
Noun
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At one point, O’Steen was confused by a question, and the resulting back-and-forth was reminiscent of an Abbott and Costello repartee.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
12 Sep. 2025
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Hoffman and Jonsson are both brilliant, vulnerable in their humanity in the face of such unfathomable conditions, but their repartee does seem forced and often maudlin.—
Gregory Nussen,
Deadline,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Esiason's ribbing comes after a recent lighthearted back-and-forth between Waldman and Dave Sims, the play-by-play voice of the Bronx Bombers.—
Chantz Martin,
FOXNews.com,
9 Oct. 2025
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The length has been shortened to create a boxy silhouette and the ribbing at the hem was adjusted for a stronger tension.—
Jean E. Palmieri,
Footwear News,
1 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Raillery.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/raillery. Accessed 15 Oct. 2025.
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