as in joke
good-natured teasing or exchanging of clever remarks
their tongue-in-cheek persiflage is sometimes mistaken for an exchange of insults by people who don't know them
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of persiflage
None of this will keep Republicans and conservatives from attacking the reconciliation bill with smoke, mirrors and persiflage.
—
Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 10 Aug. 2022
As Nixon’s political strategist, Kevin Phillips, told the New York Times in 1970:
All the talk about Republicans making inroads into the Negro vote is persiflage.
—Jane Coaston, Vox, 12 Oct. 2018
Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 10 Aug. 2022
As Nixon’s political strategist, Kevin Phillips, told the New York Times in 1970:
All the talk about Republicans making inroads into the Negro vote is persiflage.
—Jane Coaston, Vox, 12 Oct. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for persiflage
Noun
-
But one Democratic member of the FCC tells her that Carr can't pull a license just because the administration doesn't like a joke or criticism.—
Brittney Melton,
NPR,
19 Sep. 2025
-
After general manager Bill Guerin spoke to reporters, declining to go into detail about the ongoing contract negotiations, superstar winger Kirill Kaprizov spoke to reporters, as well, smiling big, cracking jokes, and declaring his love for Minnesota.—
Dane Mizutani,
Twin Cities,
19 Sep. 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
-
The action flows, the badinage is fast and fun.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
28 Aug. 2025
-
Each bus has a pair of hosts, whose badinage is corny but crowd-pleasing.—
Patricia Marx,
New Yorker,
5 May 2025
Noun
-
Riffing, or lighthearted banter, is a special way of co-creating meaning in your relationship.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
13 Sep. 2025
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Daniel is virtually beaming at his kid as the two of them casually banter.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
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What captured millions of TikTok users' hearts was the pure joy that can be heard in her son’s laughs as her husband shields him from the rain.—
Natalia Senanayake,
PEOPLE,
14 Sep. 2025
-
The ratio of laughs to drama changes quite sharply, however, as Joan takes her hostages off on their journey, leading to a bond with Tyler and a lot of unexpected revelations about Joan’s background.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
13 Sep. 2025
Noun
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At one point, O’Steen was confused by a question, and the resulting back-and-forth was reminiscent of an Abbott and Costello repartee.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
12 Sep. 2025
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But mainly the kids banter in pig Latin or in a screwball repartee fashioned from overheard adult speech.—
Dan Chiasson,
New Yorker,
4 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Though brief, the video struck a chord with viewers who found humor in the dramatic before-and-after.—
Melissa Fleur Afshar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 Sep. 2025
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Iger saw no humor consistent with Disney’s brand in that episode.—
Dave Smith,
Fortune,
19 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Day 2 of school and the wheat’s already been separated from the chaff.—
Inga,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
11 Aug. 2025
-
After hiring an industry executive, the company figured out how to separate the valuable ore from the chaff.—
Peter Cohan,
Forbes.com,
16 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Persiflage.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/persiflage. Accessed 21 Sep. 2025.
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