tease

1 a person who causes repeated emotional pain, distress, or annoyance to another she can be a very cruel tease when she happens upon an unpopular girl who is easily hurt Synonyms of tease baiter, harasser, heckler, mocker, needler, persecutor, quiz, quizzer, ridiculer, taunter, tormentor, teaser, torturerWords Related to tease belittler, derider, detractor, giber (or jiber), insulter, jeerer, scoffer, scorner; trash-talker; smart aleck (also smart alec), smarty (or smartie), smarty-pants, wiseacre, wiseguy; kidder, lampooner, satirist; accuser, blamer, troublemaker; assailant, attacker, molester, victimizer; bother, disturber, pestNear Antonyms of tease defender, deliverer, guard, protector, rescuer, savior (or saviour); comforter, consoler, solace, soother, succorer; bodyguard, champion

2 one who is obnoxiously annoying my youngest brother is a complete tease, following me around everywhere and aping my every move Synonyms of tease annoyance, annoyer, bother, gadfly, gnawer, nudnik (also nudnick), pain, persecutor, pest, nuisance, teaserWords Related to tease headache; harrier, heckler, interrupter (also interruptor); hassle, plague; harasser, molester, tormentor (also tormenter), torturerNear Antonyms of tease charmer, smoothy (or smoothie); comforter, solacer, soother

1 to make fun of in a good-natured way likes to tease her twin brother about his seemingly endless string of girlfriends Synonyms of tease chaff, jive, joke, josh, kid, rally, razz, rib, ride, roast Words Related to tease banter; fool, fun, string along; jest, quip, wisecrack; gag, jape, jolly, yuk (or yuck) [slang] Phrases goof on [slang], take the mickey out of [British]

2 to attack repeatedly with mean put-downs or insults grew up being teased because his parents were hog farmers Synonyms of tease bait, hassle, haze, heckle, needle, ride, taunt Words Related to tease deride, gibe (or jibe), jeer, mock, ridicule; annoy, bother, bug, burn (up), chafe, fret, frost, gall, get, gnaw (at), grate, gripe, hack (off), hagride, irk, irritate, itch, nag, nark [British], nettle, peeve, pester, pique, put out, rasp, rile, ruffle, spite, trouble, vex; aggravate, exasperate, goad, test, try; aggrieve, agitate, bedevil, beleaguer, discomfort, disturb, perturb; badger, dog, hound; browbeat, bully, hector; harass, harry, persecute, plague, terrorize, torment, torture Phrases make game of, pick on