badinage

American  

[bad-n-ahzh, bad-n-ij] / ˌbæd nˈɑʒ, ˈbæd n ɪdʒ /

noun

1. light, playful banter or raillery.

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verb (used with object)

badinaged, badinaging

1. to banter with or tease (someone) playfully.

badinage British  

/ ˈbædɪˌnɑːʒ /

noun

1. playful or frivolous repartee or banter

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Etymology

Origin of badinage

First recorded in 1650–60; from French, equivalent to badin(er) “to joke, trifle” (verbal derivative of badin “joker, banterer,” from Old Provençal bad(ar) “to gape” or directly from Vulgar Latin batāre; bay ² ) + -in, from Latin -īnus -ine ¹ ) + -age -age

Example Sentences

His badinage is hardly Wildean, but his put-downs, honed to the sharpness of stilettos, are many people’s idea of fun.

From Salon • May 8, 2024

Cue a medley of exquisite tomfoolery, featuring bawdy badinage, dubious love-poems, mistaken identity, visual gags, a chaotic play-within-a-play and lots of linguistic whimsy.

From New York Times • May 2, 2024

But also present are Heyer’s wry humor and deftness in witty badinage.

From Washington Post • Sep. 10, 2022

The good-natured and amusing badinage between Sainz and Norris was a key feature of their partnership.

From BBC • Jun. 17, 2021

So disordered were my nerves from their romping badinage that I did not mark this question was addressed to me.

From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson