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

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of teasing

Noun

But the two still co-parented well, and developed a teasing relationship, with McQueen sneakily making sure to marry his last wife, model Barbara Minty, before Adams married her second husband Alvin Toffel in 1980. — Hadley Hall Meares, Vanity Fair, 20 Oct. 2026

After months of teasing and mystery, Days Of Our Lives has revealed that British actor Kyle Pryor has been cast in the highly anticipated role of Dominic Marino. — Denise Petski, Deadline, 20 Oct. 2026

While the exchange adds brief comic relief, what sounds like affectionate teasing is also a warning of what’s to come. — Michelle F. Solomon, Miami Herald, 15 Oct. 2026

Followin much teasing, Oasis will embark on an additional 2027 tour hitting stops once again in the United Kingdom and United States, but also Europe, which was omitted during last year’s trot. — Jaeden Pinder, Rolling Stone, 28 Sep. 2026

Because after decades of rumors, whispers, teasing and the sort of speculation normally reserved for Elvis sightings and alien landings, a Days of Thunder sequel is officially on the fast track to theaters. — Greg Engle, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026

Here, in a characteristically unfiltered chat between Alix and Ashtin for InStyle, their sisterly bond—decidedly tender beneath the teasing—plays out in real time. — Lauren Valenti, InStyle, 26 Aug. 2026

In 2022, comic Li Bo was fined 50,000 yuan ($7,400) for joking about the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown in Shanghai and teasing teenagers. — Sylvie Zhuang, CNN Money, 18 Aug. 2026

The show’s first two episodes feature scenes of shadowboxing, random bouts of wrestling and friendly teasing between players and coaches in between the hustle and bustle of an NFL training camp. — Pj Green, Kansas City Star, 13 Aug. 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

Mahomes began teasing the collection last week with several posts on her Instagram. — Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 15 Oct. 2026

As part of the panel, co-showrunners and executive producers Alex Kurtzman and Noga Landau introduced a new clip teasing the second season, alongside series cast members Holly Hunter, Sandro Rosta, Bella Shepard, Karim Diané and Robert Picardo. — Abbey White, HollywoodReporter, 10 Oct. 2026

Now, after a decade of barely any new music from the singer (there was that one good song for Smurfs), Rihanna is teasing fans once again. — Isabella Albaig, Vulture, 9 Oct. 2026

The veteran held off any trash talk to start the game, but Wilson started a little chatter of his own, teasing Brooks about an altercation Monday with Detroit Pistons forward John Collins. — Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 8 Oct. 2026

Coming off his breakout role this year, Michael Johnston is teasing what’s next. — Glenn Garner, Deadline, 7 Oct. 2026

Then last year the brand started teasing its relaunch, and everyone got upset. — Jonathan M. Gitlin, ArsTechnica, 7 Oct. 2026

The approval seems to create a regulatory path for SpaceX to turn Starlink Mobile into a competitor to AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon, something that SpaceX executives have already been teasing. — Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 7 Oct. 2026

Social media and YouTube posts cryptically teasing that date popped up this week. — Tyler Estep, AJC.com, 25 Sep. 2026