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
Relevance
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!"
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for jesting
Noun
-
Think light beer, string lights, pizza, a cake with a callback to a joke from the show on it.—
Kelly Stout,
Rolling Stone,
25 May 2025 -
The vibes are confusing, the itinerary is unclear, and Drew—ever the queen of chaos—jokes that naked bears might be involved.—
Shelby Stewart,
Essence,
25 May 2025
Verb
-
For myself and many of my classmates, the four-story Forever 21 in Times Square was the most exciting part of our senior-class trip to New York City—not joking!—
Kaitlyn Tiffany,
The Atlantic,
18 Mar. 2025
-
And, everyone was joking about it behind his back.—
Todd Nordstrom,
Forbes,
14 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Still, Ernst shared a sarcastic apology video after facing criticism from Democrats over her response to the town hall attendees' concerns.—
Savannah Kuchar,
USA Today,
2 June 2025
-
The vibe, never exactly cheerful, and never leavened by a hint of even the most sarcastic sense of humor, takes a turn for the horrific one evening in the wake of the bawdy revels celebrating Tomek’s wedding.—
Jessica Kiang,
Variety,
30 May 2025
Noun
-
Some of it comes from the ether… from the ether going after Ethan [laughs].—
Andrea Flores,
Los Angeles Times,
25 May 2025
-
Customers come and go, street merchants stop in to peddle their wares and the hair braiders bicker over clients, laugh, dance, watch African soap operas on TV and work until their fingers bleed.—
Pam Kragen,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
23 May 2025
Noun
-
With time, their caustic raillery transforms into sincere attachment.—
Charlie Tyson,
The Atlantic,
13 May 2021
-
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.—
Washington Post,
Washington Post,
14 Oct. 2020
Noun
-
Despite the verve of the film, there’s no there there — just an exercise in quippy banter and witty violence that works well enough to remind you of better movies.—
Alison Willmore,
Vulture,
23 May 2025
-
Friendly banter and jokes were flying around the Loons’ dressing room after a dramatic 3-2 win over St. Louis City in the U.S. Open Cup round of 16 on Wednesday at Allianz Field.—
Andy Greder,
Twin Cities,
22 May 2025
Noun
-
Each bus has a pair of hosts, whose badinage is corny but crowd-pleasing.—
Patricia Marx,
New Yorker,
5 May 2025
-
In The Kitchen, Wesker tracked the decorum from friendly badinage to hostile vernacular that co-workers sustain just to get through the day.—
Armond White,
National Review,
30 Oct. 2024
Noun
-
Most voters are worried about high prices for food, energy and housing, rather than their leader’s Oval Office repartee.—
Alexander Smith,
NBC news,
30 Mar. 2025
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For all his entertaining repartee, Hedges is keenly aware of when to lock in.—
Ken Rosenthal,
The Athletic,
25 Feb. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Jesting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/jesting. Accessed 7 Jun. 2025.
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