Synonyms of teasing

teasing 1 of 3

noun

as in harassment

the act of making unwelcome intrusions upon another

stop that teasing before you make the baby cry

Synonyms & Similar Words

• harassment
• bothering
• bugging
• disturbance
• annoyance
• pestering
• torture
• torment
• harrying
• aggravation
• bedevilment
• importunity
• vexation
• persecution
• botheration
• provocation
• molestation
• offense
• mischief
• devilment
• aggro
• devilry

teasing

2 of 3

adjective

1

as in joking

Related Words

• joking
• bantering
• frivolous
• comic
• jesting
• amusing
• funny
• cerebral
• intellectual
• comical
• entertaining
• joshing
• ridiculous
• humorous
• witty
• screaming
• playful
• laughing
• highbrow
• hysterical
• riotous
• jocular
• rollicking
• ludicrous
• facetious
• antic
• laughable
• droll
• farcical
• uproarious
• mischievous
• risible
• clever
• highbrowed
• jovial
• prankish
• sidesplitting
• diverting
• merry
• mirthful
• jocose
• jolly
• smart
• flippant
• waggish
• sparkling
• whimsical
• flip
• sunny
• scintillating
• jocund
• pert
• smart-aleck
• smart-alecky

Dissimilar Words

• stupid
• witless
• lame
• brainless
• lowbrow
• serious
• corny
• hackneyed
• earnest
• humorless
• solemn
• hackney
• somber
• unfunny
• grave
• sorry
• plaintive
• sober
• tearful
• serious-minded
• unamusing
• doleful
• uncomic
• woeful
• dolorous
• lachrymose

2

as in taunting

Related Words

• taunting
• inducing
• inspiring
• motivating
• motivational
• jeering
• inspirational
• activating
• triggering
• inflammatory
• explosive
• energizing
• incendiary
• quickening
• vitalizing
• provoking
• motivative
• provocative
• maddening
• galvanizing
• upsetting
• exciting
• annoying
• stimulating
• aggravating
• irritating
• exasperating
• vexing
• irksome
• bothersome
• enraging
• angering
• inciting
• fiery
• vexatious
• pesky
• instigating
• edgy
• piquing
• instigative
• galling
• charged

Dissimilar Words

• noninflammatory
• subduing

teasing

3 of 3

verb

present participle of tease

1

as in kidding

to make fun of in a good-natured way

likes to tease her twin brother about his seemingly endless string of girlfriends

Synonyms & Similar Words

• joking
• kidding
• razzing
• ribbing
• roasting
• joshing
• chaffing
• riding
• bantering
• jiving
• rallying
• goofing on
• funning
• taking the mickey out of
• fooling
• jesting
• wisecracking
• quipping
• jollying
• stringing along
• gagging
• japing
• yukking

2

as in mocking

to attack repeatedly with mean put-downs or insults

grew up being teased because his parents were hog farmers

Synonyms & Similar Words

• taunting
• mocking
• bothering
• ridiculing
• baiting
• riding
• annoying
• torturing
• heckling
• needling
• hazing
• hassling
• irritating
• picking on
• plaguing
• bullying
• making game of
• trying
• jeering
• troubling
• testing
• pestering
• tormenting
• gibing
• goading
• deriding
• nagging
• badgering
• itching
• spiting
• bugging
• harassing
• ruffling
• disturbing
• griping
• riling
• nettling
• aggravating
• irking
• exasperating
• fretting
• burning (up)
• vexing
• grating
• chafing
• getting
• dogging
• piquing
• rasping
• agitating
• hounding
• perturbing
• frosting
• hacking (off)
• galling
• discomforting
• gnawing (at)
• persecuting
• browbeating
• bedeviling
• narking
• putting out
• hectoring
• terrorizing
• peeving
• beleaguering
• harrying
• hagriding
• aggrieving

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of teasing

Noun

Baldur is more circumspect, irked at having temporarily lost his boat in the mishap, and unsettled by Helge’s teasing manner, which could be interpreted as either adversarial or flirtatious. — Dennis Harvey, Variety, 26 July 2026

Flat hair can look fuller instantly with the right styling techniques, like root-lifting blowouts and strategic teasing. — Emily Kelleher, InStyle, 26 June 2026

While there's still plenty of work to come on their feature film collaboration, Fortune laughed off Bush Hager's teasing question about becoming besties with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. — Meredith Kile, PEOPLE, 23 June 2026

Watching for subtle signs, like controlling behavior or mean-spirited teasing, can help parents address bullying early. — Sherri Gordon, Parents, 22 June 2026

The bun has truly impressive volume, but no visible teasing or fluffiness—just dense, smooth structure. — Marci Robin, Allure, 17 June 2026

Season three is cashing in on all the teasing and finally giving us the Dance of the Dragons, the Targaryen civil war that brings Westeros to its knees, in all its bloody and fiery glory. — Nic Juarez, Vulture, 15 June 2026

This was 1967, back when teachers said teasing should be ignored. — Literary Hub, 3 Apr. 2026

His teasing took on a sharper edge. — Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Mar. 2026

Adjective

The thickset Armand Assante was a phlegmatic Odysseus, but Greta Scacchi, as Penelope—who has so little to say in the poem—became the physical embodiment of anger, and Isabella Rossellini was a teasing Athena. — David Denby, New Yorker, 21 June 2026

The tiny humans sometimes linger in the blank space of your mind, staring back at you in a teasing way. — Ross Andersen, The Atlantic, 12 June 2026

For June, in Miami, that’s a teasing treat. — Howard Cohen june 1, Miami Herald, 1 June 2026

Or when Reggie purposefully annoys Arthur by having his son, Carmelo (Jalyn Hall), practice with his a cappella group in Arthur’s editing suite, a move that demonstrates the increasingly teasing affection between Arthur and Reggie. — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 14 Apr. 2026

Verb

Showrunners Joe Port and Joe Wiseman were very generous to the crowd inside Ballroom 20 at Comic-Con on Friday, teasing what to expect after leaving Pete’s (Richie Moriarty) fate up in the air at the end of Season 5. — Katie Campione, Deadline, 24 July 2026

Here’s a look at a video teasing the Max and Helen’s episode. — Brent Lang, Variety, 24 July 2026

Toyota has been teasing a new MR2 for what feels like ages now. — Adam Ismail, The Drive, 22 July 2026

After teasing its new foldables for weeks, Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 lands tomorrow officially at Unpacked in London (read about pricing and new features here). — Janhoi McGregor, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026

Hannah Waddingham‘s Rebecca, the owner of Richmond, bumps into her Amsterdam mystery man (Matteo van der Grijn), teasing a future romance. — Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 20 July 2026

The ageless Messi has a history of teasing retirement, only to return — and flourish — on the international stage. — Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 19 July 2026

Suddenly, the same kids who had been teasing me were instead begging for the next chapter. — Literary Hub, 15 July 2026

In the meantime, some teams, such as the Senators, are teasing creative ways of releasing their season schedule. — Julian McKenzie, New York Times, 15 July 2026