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

Saturday Night Live breakout Bowen Yang opens the evening by teasing Chen about his dating life. — Mia Galuppo, HollywoodReporter, 6 Aug. 2026

In the video, Bunnia was shown a poster of Travis in her hospital room as a teasing preview of the singer's appearance. — Edward Segarra, USA Today, 4 Aug. 2026

Our Avengers assemble for one final face-off against Thanos, bringing some heroes’ stories to a close and teasing others that are just beginning. — Ew Staff, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Aug. 2026

Daily glances, teasing and silences hide something nobody wants to talk about. — Leo Barraclough, Variety, 3 Aug. 2026

Sensing his son’s remorse for his hurtful words, dad was then able to have what seemed to be a helpful conversation with him about consent, accountability, and what to do when teasing crosses the line. — Christian Dashiell, Parents, 1 Aug. 2026

Cardi shared on Instagram after teasing the song earlier this week. — Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 31 July 2026

In the comments section of Beer’s Instagram post teasing the video, her parents, Robert and Tracie Beer, voiced their support for the couple. — Nasha Smith, PEOPLE, 28 July 2026

Her twin brother, Connor (Keen Ruffalo), by contrast, spends his morning teasing Annie and drinking chocolate milk straight from the carton. — Kenneal Patterson, Vanity Fair, 27 July 2026