1
as in tormenter
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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
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
as in harassment
the act of making unwelcome intrusions upon another
stop that teasing before you make the baby cry
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
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
1
as in joking
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
2
as in taunting
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of teasing
John Hollinger, New York Times, 20 June 2025
Below, Lampert unpacks the heaviness of season three, choosing to show different sides of Georgia and Ginny, the decision to ultimately not convict Georgia for murder and teases season four (as well as her hopes for a fifth season).
—Carly Thomas, HollywoodReporter, 6 June 2025
Jibin Joseph, PC Magazine, 26 June 2025
Ovens said Kevin will sometimes tease Lucie for fun, but the dog is generally good at respecting her space.
—Lydia Patrick, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 June 2025
Jessica Lynch, Billboard, 30 Dec. 2024
Dua Lipa has been teasing a side part all year.
—Daisy Jones, Vogue, 30 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for teasing
Verb
After a three-year NBA apprenticeship as a minus-impact tease with the theoretical, hazy outlines of intrigue because of his height and length, Thor, 22, looked a bit more like an actual basketball player for the Cavs and Wizards last season.
—John Hollinger, New York Times, 20 June 2025
Below, Lampert unpacks the heaviness of season three, choosing to show different sides of Georgia and Ginny, the decision to ultimately not convict Georgia for murder and teases season four (as well as her hopes for a fifth season).
—Carly Thomas, HollywoodReporter, 6 June 2025
Noun
As MacRumors notes, that's a big 180 from WWDC 2022, when Apple first teased CarPlay Ultra and displayed the logos of 14 car makers.
—Jibin Joseph, PC Magazine, 26 June 2025
Ovens said Kevin will sometimes tease Lucie for fun, but the dog is generally good at respecting her space.
—Lydia Patrick, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 June 2025
Adjective
The Brat rollout also saw Charli teasing unfinished demos at underground raves to build anticipation.
—Jessica Lynch, Billboard, 30 Dec. 2024
Dua Lipa has been teasing a side part all year.
—Daisy Jones, Vogue, 30 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for teasing
Recent Examples of Synonyms for teasing
Adjective
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Altman changes his protagonist to a subsistence farmer who watches people have ever more frivolous jobs – less physical work, less concrete roles, more creative noodling and more flexibility.—
John Werner,
Forbes.com,
23 June 2025
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Theater talk is some of the most frivolous talk, and it should be shouted from the rooftops.—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
20 June 2025
Adjective
-
To add insult to injury, distress at work has been linked to a decrease in innovative work behavior, meaning all that destructive stress ultimately may yield less inspiring work.—
Drew Gerber,
Forbes.com,
20 June 2025
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Loved this story from Rustin Dodd about the different inspiring messages being relayed from sports figures to college graduates over the past month.—
Dan Shanoff,
New York Times,
18 June 2025
Adjective
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Southern comic Dusty Slay has inked a deal for Netflix to debut Wet Heat, his second special for the service in two years, on the heels of 2024’s Workin’ Man, which will premiere on July 29.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
24 June 2025
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The teaser first airs on on the season 2 finale of The Walking Dead: Dead City, yet another spinoff of the prolific post-apocalyptic series adapted by Frank Darabont from the comic series by Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore, and Charlie Adlard.—
Ryan Coleman,
EW.com,
23 June 2025
Adjective
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Sharina Martin is Renee, an editor at the print magazine version of HGTV who buys into the whole Diane experience, professionally and personally, and does it with a sharp amusing stylishness.—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
17 June 2025
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In an amusing send-up of Hollywood's penchant for making reboot characters related to original franchise players, the trailers also introduce children of George Kennedy's Ed Hocken and Simpson's Nordberg, the former of which is played by Paul Water Hauser.—
Randall Colburn,
EW.com,
16 June 2025
Adjective
-
Much like his character, Boyce is mild-mannered, kind and effortlessly funny.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
25 June 2025
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The Target jokes stopped being funny when, in 2023, right-wing social-media attacks on its Pride collection got so bad that the company pulled some of the items from its stores, citing threats to employees.—
Emma Sarappo,
The Atlantic,
25 June 2025
Adjective
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But these cerebral dispatches realize their audience often experiences the work communally and tends to enjoy it most when accompanied by flowing synths and insistent drums.—
Craig Jenkins,
Vulture,
27 June 2025
-
Expect subversion, something a little weird, traditional craft turned cerebral.—
Leah Dolan,
CNN Money,
25 June 2025
Adjective
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Her wide-ranging symphony of essays on Black womanhood is a treat—incisive, intellectual, intimate, funny, and formally inventive.—
Gabrielle Bellot,
Literary Hub,
24 June 2025
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On the pages of National Review and, after 1966, on Firing Line, Buckley pioneered the do-your-own-research rhetorical style: whataboutism and verbal misdirections that often slipped into intellectual nihilism.—
Foreign Affairs,
Foreign Affairs,
24 June 2025
Adjective
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Autoimmune diseases were used as an indirect marker of chronic inflammation, rather than direct measures using inflammatory biomarkers, such as interleukin-6 (IL-6).—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
24 June 2025
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Regularly applying shea butter may help reduce symptoms of this chronic inflammatory disease.—
Mark Gurarie,
Verywell Health,
23 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Teasing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/teasing. Accessed 4 Jul. 2025.
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