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
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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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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
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Since Carter and Andersen could make each other laugh, that was enough.—
John Tamny,
Forbes.com,
13 May 2025
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Photos were taken, laughs were shared and much of the cast gave each other warm embraces all evening.—
Brayden Garcia,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
13 May 2025
Noun
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Nikki Glaser applauds Joan’s candor about aging and plastic surgery, and Aubrey Plaza retires Joan’s not-so-politically-correct jokes.—
Erin Jensen,
USA Today,
14 May 2025
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Teasing out the joke, Pressley asked if former landscaper Wallen is good around the house fixing stuff.—
Gil Kaufman,
Billboard,
12 May 2025
Noun
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Following some playful online banter, the two took their connection offline and met up in person.—
Tabitha Parent,
People.com,
5 May 2025
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The show, with its journalistically murky blend of news and casual banter, serves the administration’s needs in a few ways, the report suggested.—
Megan Garber,
The Atlantic,
2 May 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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There are some clever bits of humor thoughout th emovie, especially involving all the shenanigans of the French, but the Dane’s story ends on a decidedly dark note.—
Jordan Mintzer,
HollywoodReporter,
16 May 2025
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Gunn has promised a return to sincerity, but this is still unmistakably his movie so expect dashes of bizarro humor amid the spectacle and a few lovable weirdos around the edges (including Supes’ flying dog Krypto).—
Greg Braxton,
Los Angeles Times,
16 May 2025
Noun
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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
Noun
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The plastic handle includes ribbings and grooves to allow for a more comfortable positioning of the hand.—
Renee Freemon Mulvihill,
Better Homes & Gardens,
29 Apr. 2025
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While his signature full head of hair sprung back to life after several washings, Swanson expects some residual good-natured ribbing from his Cubs teammates, as the first-place club looks to turn 2025 into its own potentially memorable winning campaign.—
Robert Channick,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Raillery.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/raillery. Accessed 24 May. 2025.
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