Test
Your
Word IQ! Play Now

persiflage

[ pur-suh-flahzh, pair- ]
/ ˈpɜr səˌflɑʒ, ˈpɛər- /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR persiflage ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

light, bantering talk or writing.
a frivolous or flippant style of treating a subject.

VIDEO FOR PERSIFLAGE

WATCH NOW: Better Your Banter With This Playful Term

Join this conversation: Can you guess what "persiflage" means before the end of this illustration?

MORE VIDEOS FROM DICTIONARY.COM

QUIZZES

Are You A Word Of The Day Whiz? Take The February Challenge
Test your memory on some of our favorite words from February.
Question 1 of 15
Which sentence uses the adjective fictile correctly?
My test scores were in the top five fictile!
She scrounged every market for fictile treasures.
Her speech was full of fictile statements.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Words related to persiflage

frivolity, banter, mockery

Words nearby persiflage

persian walnut, persians, the, persicaria, persichetti, persiennes, persiflage, persimmon, persis, persist, persistence, persistence of memory, the

Origin of persiflage

1750–60; < French, derivative of persifler to banter, equivalent to per- per- + siffler to whistle, hiss < Late Latin sifilāre, for Latin sībilāre; see sibilant, -age
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for persiflage

British Dictionary definitions for persiflage

persiflage
/ (ˈpɜːsɪˌflɑːʒ) /

noun

light frivolous conversation, style, or treatment; friendly teasing

Word Origin for persiflage

C18: via French, from persifler to tease, from per- (intensive) + siffler to whistle, from Latin sībilāre to whistle
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012