badinage
Americannoun
verb (used with object)
noun
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; cf. bay 2) + -in, from Latin -īnus -ine 1 ) + -age -age
Explanation
Stiff corporate types don't tend to be too fond of badinage, or playful conversation, during important meetings, but sometimes a witty joke about the manager's ugly tie is just the right thing to lighten the mood. Badinage comes from the French word badiner, which means "to joke." In literature, there is no better place to find examples of badinage and witty wordplay than in Shakespeare's comedic plays. You can also find great examples in sitcom television, stand-up comedy, and the everyday frivolous banter among siblings and friends.
Vocabulary lists containing badinage
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
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
Usually that high gloss means Hare is up to some undermining; in plays like “Plenty,” “The Judas Kiss” and “Skylight,” good badinage almost always means bad faith.
From New York Times ● Oct. 26, 2022
But also present are Heyer’s wry humor and deftness in witty badinage.
From Washington Post ● Sep. 10, 2022
And Simon Longnight, who plays both Marquis de Lafayette and Thomas Jefferson, can’t compete with the memory of Daveed Diggs, but he excels in rapping humorous ripostes and clever badinage.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 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
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
