as in banter
good-natured teasing or exchanging of clever remarks
the sophisticated badinage of the characters in plays by Oscar Wilde
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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 children ice a birthday cake; Alec Baldwin cleans up toys; the boys get summer haircuts; and the parents, who are both executive producers of the show, banter over their 26-year age gap.—
Julia Jacobs,
New York Times,
24 Feb. 2025
-
There’s a blandly attractive ensemble trading dutifully quippy banter.—
Angie Han,
The Hollywood Reporter,
21 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
-
After a joke about Adam Sandler’s fashion sense, O’Brien suddenly changed tone to address the devastation of the wildfires in Los Angeles, and how an awards show can seem self-indulgent if that context was not addressed.—
Annie Aguiar,
New York Times,
3 Mar. 2025
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But from a pure comedy standpoint, the joke was just basic—and unfunny.—
Esther Zuckerman,
The Atlantic,
2 Mar. 2025
Noun
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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
-
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
-
Expect plenty of laughs, heartfelt moments, and unforgettable speeches as Hollywood's finest take the stage.—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
2 Mar. 2025
-
Buss exclaims, making Hudson and Kaling laugh harder.—
Angelique Jackson,
Variety,
28 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
Be okay with the usual give-and-take of your friendship looking lopsided for a while.—
Carolyn L. Todd,
SELF,
28 Feb. 2025
-
The track’s mellow, cha-cha vibe subtly underscores the give-and-take inherent in that interplay, while Flack’s ethereal yet measured vocals indelibly outline the simple little moments that can relight Cupid’s flame.—
Gail Mitchell,
Billboard,
27 Feb. 2025
Noun
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O’Brien has a very specific brand of humor that mixes the bombastic and the surreal with a biting sharpness and a healthy dose of self depreciation.—
Rosa Escandon,
Forbes,
3 Mar. 2025
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Related article Why the dinner party is a declining art At the end of the day, small talk is meant to be lighthearted and enjoyable, and a little humor and compassion go a long way, Sah said.—
Taylor Nicioli,
CNN,
3 Mar. 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 12 Mar. 2025.
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