as in banter
good-natured teasing or exchanging of clever remarks
the sophisticated badinage of the characters in plays by Oscar Wilde
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of badinage
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
While Hawley hasn’t left behind any of his signature philosophical dialogue or memorable badinage, Season 5 is also the most reliant on the camera to make its points.
—Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 13 Aug. 2024
The question of who was manipulating whom had been a meta thing in our conversations from the beginning, with jokey badinage about the power of interviewers and the vulnerability of their subjects.
—Laura Kipnis, WIRED, 5 Dec. 2023
The music is in the badinage.
—Peter Rainer, The Christian Science Monitor, 17 Dec. 2020
But also present are Heyer’s wry humor and deftness in witty badinage.
—Katherine A. Powers, Washington Post, 10 Sep. 2022
The film, directed with an alluring blend of badinage and upper-crust sensuality by Emma Holly Jones, is based on a novel by Suzanne Allain (who wrote the screenplay), which was published in 2020 and designed to be a playful riff on Jane Austen.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 1 July 2022
The banality of Ruben Santiago-Hudson’s adapted script suggests satire, yet the film is fairly humorless, despite the musicians’ profane badinage.
—Armond White, National Review, 1 Jan. 2021
The result is a system that favors cable-ready wisecracks and viral badinage over substantive policy discussions.
—Alex Shephard, The New Republic, 31 July 2020
Armond White, National Review, 30 Oct. 2024
While Hawley hasn’t left behind any of his signature philosophical dialogue or memorable badinage, Season 5 is also the most reliant on the camera to make its points.
—Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 13 Aug. 2024
The question of who was manipulating whom had been a meta thing in our conversations from the beginning, with jokey badinage about the power of interviewers and the vulnerability of their subjects.
—Laura Kipnis, WIRED, 5 Dec. 2023
The music is in the badinage.
—Peter Rainer, The Christian Science Monitor, 17 Dec. 2020
But also present are Heyer’s wry humor and deftness in witty badinage.
—Katherine A. Powers, Washington Post, 10 Sep. 2022
The film, directed with an alluring blend of badinage and upper-crust sensuality by Emma Holly Jones, is based on a novel by Suzanne Allain (who wrote the screenplay), which was published in 2020 and designed to be a playful riff on Jane Austen.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 1 July 2022
The banality of Ruben Santiago-Hudson’s adapted script suggests satire, yet the film is fairly humorless, despite the musicians’ profane badinage.
—Armond White, National Review, 1 Jan. 2021
The result is a system that favors cable-ready wisecracks and viral badinage over substantive policy discussions.
—Alex Shephard, The New Republic, 31 July 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for badinage
Noun
-
The Duke of Sussex, a former captain in the British Army and the founding patron of the Invictus Games, then turned to banter with the French competitor.—
Janine Henni,
People.com,
14 Feb. 2025
-
Despite the relatively mundane explanation for what is on the flash drive, the story has struck a chord with viewers online, leading to plenty of banter in the comments.—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
13 Feb. 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
-
Sunday night's show packed five decades of memories, references, music, and jokes into a three-hour program that was high on emotion, heart, and laughs.—
Melissa Locker,
TIME,
17 Feb. 2025
-
There’s lots of Easter eggs of all sorts, with dialogue, with jokes, with clothes.—
Mark Peikert,
IndieWire,
17 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
For all his entertaining repartee, Hedges is keenly aware of when to lock in.—
Ken Rosenthal,
The Athletic,
25 Feb. 2025
-
Ally and Jay are both sarcastic, too — their best lines are muttered under their breaths — and their repartee becomes more interesting than the bloody theatrics.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
The middle-school laughs made Isaiah Stewart feel uneasy.—
Hunter Patterson,
The Athletic,
17 Feb. 2025
-
The biggest laughs were earned by Murphy, who did an impression of Morgan, while Morgan played a man named Darius and Jones played a woman named Shanice.—
Selome Hailu,
Variety,
17 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
The three-month suspension period is not based on any specific WADA rule but instead reflects the give-and-take of settlement talks.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
15 Feb. 2025
-
One common strategy involved the scammers initiating a give-and-take with the victim.—
Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi,
Discover Magazine,
18 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
White was known for her wry smile and biting humor, which, even in her older years, never dulled our tamed.—
Anna Kaufman,
USA TODAY,
22 Feb. 2025
-
It’s given Perkins a perspective – and humor – that is evident in his film.—
Jenelle Riley,
Variety,
21 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
Not wind but a chaff of pollen choking in that whirl.—
David Baker,
The Atlantic,
8 Dec. 2024
-
So to me, it’s always been the later draft rounds that separate the fantasy wheat from the chaff.—
John Laghezza,
The Athletic,
20 Aug. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Badinage.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/badinage. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share