as in joking
marked by or expressive of mild or good-natured teasing
made jesting comments about my need for serious fashion advice
Synonyms & Similar Words
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as in joke
good-natured teasing or exchanging of clever remarks
lots of laughter and elbow-nudging jesting at family reunions
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in bantering
to make jokes
when I asked my sister for a loan, she laughingly replied, "Surely you jest!"
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of jesting
Lynnette Nicholas, Parents, 8 Dec. 2025
Kimi Robinson, USA Today, 10 Jan. 2026
Noun
Language There’s some crude language, jesting, and mature comedic themes, but but nothing the modern tween or teen hasn’t seen or heard before.
—Verb
So much so that a cheeky George Clooney let loose a certain four-letter word while jesting about a fellow actor.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for jesting
Noun
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If that means being the frequent butt of jokes for his age, that's fine, too.—
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Try to ski with a friend, who might distract me with a story or a joke.—
Verb
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Turn around and make a lighthearted comment to the person behind you, maybe joking about the wait time, Simon-Thomas suggests.—
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Jennifer Lawrence and Emma Stone exchanged texts on the morning the Screen Actors Guild nominations were announced this week, joking about the outcome after Stone landed a nod and Lawrence did not.—
Adjective
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The Marriage Story star first appeared as a child in an uncredited role in the Scorsese film — Ladd's first taste of major acclaim as the sarcastic waitress Flo.—
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The kicking game was so bad that Freeman sounded like Brian Kelly at his sarcastic best when asked about Noah Burnette, Erik Schmidt and Marcello Diomede combining to miss two extra points and one field goal.—
Noun
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The Spartans got the last laugh for now, too, taking both games.—
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Katz said, feigning familiarity with the leader’s influence and drawing laughs from the audience.—
Noun
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With time, their caustic raillery transforms into sincere attachment.—
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French’s evocation of place, a rural way of life and overall creepiness are superb, as is the dialogue, a festival of Irish raillery and repartee.—
Noun
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Jennifer Aniston's social media followers were treated to some banter between the Friends alum and her costar Courteney Cox — not as Rachel and Monica, but themselves.—
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Alana and Danielle rush towards the dresses and pose beside them, before kicking off the sisterly banter that is a constant throughout the fitting.—
Noun
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The action flows, the badinage is fast and fun.—
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Each bus has a pair of hosts, whose badinage is corny but crowd-pleasing.—
Noun
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Brooks’s years honing his craft writing prickly characters and witty repartee ensures that not all of this scans as mindless escapism.—
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The repartee arrived ahead of the reunion’s kiss-off date in Brazil this weekend.—
Cite this Entry
“Jesting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/jesting. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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