Synonyms of tease

tease 1 of 5

noun (1)

1

as in teaser

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 & Similar Words

• teaser
• harasser
• torturer
• tormentor
• attacker
• mocker
• quiz
• taunter
• heckler
• quizzer
• needler
• victimizer
• ridiculer
• persecutor
• baiter
• accuser
• insulter
• assailant
• detractor
• scoffer
• scorner
• wise guy
• pest
• smart aleck
• smarty
• derider
• wiseacre
• jeerer
• troublemaker
• giber
• kidder
• satirist
• smarty-pants
• disturber
• belittler
• bother
• lampooner
• trash-talker
• blamer
• molester

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• guard
• protector
• defender
• savior
• deliverer
• rescuer
• solace
• comforter
• champion
• bodyguard
• soother
• succorer

2

as in nuisance

one who is obnoxiously annoying

my youngest brother is a complete tease, following me around everywhere and aping my every move

Synonyms & Similar Words

• nuisance
• annoyance
• annoyer
• pest
• teaser
• bother
• pain in the neck
• gadfly
• pain
• headache
• persecutor
• gnawer
• nudnik
• plague
• interrupter
• tormentor
• harrier
• heckler
• torturer
• harasser
• molester
• hassle

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• charmer
• comforter
• soother
• smoothy
• solacer

tease

2 of 5

verb (1)

ˈtēz 

1

as in to joke

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

• joke
• kid
• razz
• roast
• rib
• ride
• fun
• rally
• jive
• banter
• goof on
• josh
• take the mickey out of
• chaff
• fool
• jest
• quip
• string along
• gag
• wisecrack
• jolly
• jape
• yuk

2

as in to taunt

to attack repeatedly with mean put-downs or insults

grew up being teased because his parents were hog farmers

Synonyms & Similar Words

• taunt
• mock
• bother
• annoy
• ride
• bait
• pick on
• ridicule
• heckle
• needle
• torture
• irritate
• haze
• make game of
• hassle
• try
• plague
• pester
• deride
• trouble
• jeer
• test
• spite
• burn (up)
• rile
• vex
• gibe
• goad
• aggravate
• irk
• ruffle
• disturb
• torment
• nag
• exasperate
• itch
• bully
• harass
• bug
• gnaw (at)
• hack (off)
• frost
• gripe
• put out
• pique
• fret
• badger
• perturb
• discomfort
• chafe
• peeve
• grate
• get
• dog
• agitate
• gall
• bedevil
• persecute
• terrorize
• nettle
• browbeat
• hound
• nark
• aggrieve
• beleaguer
• rasp
• hagride
• harry
• hector

teasing

3 of 5

noun (2)

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

4 of 5

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

5 of 5

verb (2)

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

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb tease contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of tease are annoy, harass, harry, pester, plague, and worry. While all these words mean "to disturb or irritate by persistent acts," tease suggests an attempt to break down one's resistance or rouse to wrath.

children teased the dog

In what contexts can annoy take the place of tease?

While in some cases nearly identical to tease, annoy implies disturbing one's composure or peace of mind by intrusion, interference, or petty attacks.

you're doing that just to annoy me

When would harass be a good substitute for tease?

In some situations, the words harass and tease are roughly equivalent. However, harass implies petty persecutions or burdensome demands that exhaust one's nervous or mental power.

harassed on all sides by creditors

When can harry be used instead of tease?

Although the words harry and tease have much in common, harry may imply heavy oppression or maltreatment.

the strikers had been harried by thugs

Where would pester be a reasonable alternative to tease?

The synonyms pester and tease are sometimes interchangeable, but pester stresses the repetition of petty attacks.

constantly pestered with trivial complaints

When might plague be a better fit than tease?

The words plague and tease can be used in similar contexts, but plague implies a painful and persistent affliction.

plagued all her life by poverty

When is it sensible to use worry instead of tease?

The words worry and tease are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, worry implies an incessant goading or attacking that drives one to desperation.

pursued a policy of worrying the enemy

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of tease

Noun

That last detail was doing double duty as a tease for a new product from Bieber coming our way soon. — Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 3 Oct. 2026

After its pilot tease, Lanterns finally moves into 2026, while staying tethered to some part of its Manhunter mystery. — Siddhant Adlakha, Vulture, 21 Sep. 2026

Verb

Looking beyond Season 2, Kudiabor teases the possibility of future adventures. — Ed Meza, Variety, 14 Oct. 2026

With two sections framing her face in the front, the back half of her head was teased and tangled into a little bouffant lift at the crown. — Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 13 Oct. 2026

Noun

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

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

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

Verb

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