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 baiter, harasser, heckler, mocker, needler, persecutor, quiz, quizzer, ridiculer, taunter, tormentor, teaser, torturerRelated Words 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 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 annoyance, annoyer, bother, gadfly, gnawer, nudnik (also nudnick), pain, persecutor, pest, nuisance, teaserRelated Words headache; harrier, heckler, interrupter (also interruptor); hassle, plague; harasser, molester, tormentor (also tormenter), torturerNear Antonyms 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 chaff, jive, joke, josh, kid, rally, razz, rib, ride, roast Related Words 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 bait, hassle, haze, heckle, needle, ride, taunt Related Words 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