half-joking

British  

adjective

1. said, done, or acting in a seemingly jokey manner, but with some serious intent

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Other Word Forms

• half-jokingly
  adverb

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

half-joking

“Two girls, they’re going to make my life hell for sure, I know that,” Doncic said, half-joking.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 11, 2026

But it has inspired the kind of feverish, half-serious, half-joking discourse online that no marketing can buy, with memes, jokes, bets and Highlander references galore every time either film drops a new advertisement.

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 27, 2023

Sherry Ning, a writer in Toronto, was only half-joking when she recently tweeted, “The next counterrevolution is the return of whole milk.”

From New York Times ● Apr. 4, 2023

“That was fun for the fans. It stunk for the coaches,” Kraken coach Dave Hakstol said, half-joking.

From Washington Times ● Nov. 24, 2022

He said it seriously, but I had a feeling he was half-joking.

From "Z for Zachariah" by Robert C. O’Brien