as in joking
marked by or expressive of mild or good-natured teasing
a chaffing tone to Dad's discussion of my sister's new boyfriend
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
1
as in teasing
to make fun of in a good-natured way
chaffed her about the brightly colored shirt she had received as a gift
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in funning
to make jokes
a coworker who likes to chaff at others' expense, and this often results in hurt feelings
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for chaffing
Verb
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Seinfeld was clearly teasing, but sure enough, several headlines reported it as gospel with perhaps a mention three paragraphs in that it was intended to be humorous.—
Jenelle Riley,
Variety,
6 Jan. 2025 -
Squid Game star Lee Jung-jae and creator Hwang Dong-hyuk are teasing the third and final season of the Netflix series.—
Armando Tinoco,
Deadline,
5 Jan. 2025
Verb
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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
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And, everyone was joking about it behind his back.—
Todd Nordstrom,
Forbes,
14 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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And as trade speculation has risen, Harris reported a sarcastic one-word retort from the pitcher.—
Peter Chawaga,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 July 2025
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Their dynamic is not entirely unlike that of the upstart Nomi and established Cristal in Showgirls or the sarcastic Devon and beatific Michaela in Sirens: On one hand, Sophie wants to be as confident and self-possessed as Margo, as comfortable in her own skin and her desires.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
22 July 2025
Adjective
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Other jurors appeared curious and quizzical, some looking at Cassie or jotting notes.—
Michael R. Sisak,
Los Angeles Times,
15 May 2025
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Team owner Shad Khan looked up with a quizzical expression.—
Michael Silver,
New York Times,
29 Apr. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Chaffing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chaffing. Accessed 4 Aug. 2025.
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