raillery

American  

[rey-luh-ree] / ˈreɪ lə ri /

noun

• railleries
  plural

1. good-humored ridicule; banter.

   Synonyms:

   pleasantry, chaff, badinage

2. a bantering remark.

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raillery British  

/ ˈreɪlərɪ /

noun

1. light-hearted satire or ridicule; banter

2. an example of this, esp a bantering remark

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• railleries
  plural

Etymology

Origin of raillery

1645–55; < French raillerie, equivalent to Middle French raill ( er ) to rail ² + -erie -ery

Explanation

Use the noun raillery to describe a kind of joking or gentle teasing. There will probably be a bit of raillery between elementary school students on a field trip bus, for example. If you engage in raillery, you make fun of someone — but lightheartedly, not in a way that would cause offense. The raillery between good friends or siblings might include laughter and teasing, or a joking banter back and forth. To rail is to complain, although its Middle French root, railler, means "to tease or joke," possibly from the Old Provençal word ralhar, "to scoff or to joke."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

raillery railleries

The roguery and raillery are in place, and he has a pleasing way with a song, but his instincts for clowning undermine his suavity.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 14, 2019

The secret of his comedy was in his delivery, which was a blizzard of mockery, raillery and mayhem.

From Washington Post ● Apr. 6, 2017

Advertisement Advertisement Often, though, their teasing doesn’t feel different from the family raillery of many a sitcom.

From New York Times ● Aug. 9, 2015

Old pals, they knew each other’s foibles and weaknesses all too well and exploited them in an ongoing raillery of inside jokes, ragging, and general good-natured BS.

From Salon ● Sep. 8, 2013

I saw their eyes bespeaking confusion at this raillery, sorrow to hear our liberator mocked thus, and anxiety at what His Lordship’s uncertainty might mean.

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

No person, no moment is safe from his railleries.

From Time Magazine Archive

They stood in an alcove long known ironically as "The Statesman's Window," from the highly political railleries exchanged there when voluble Mr. Potter was on the Council.

From Time Magazine Archive

With this view, he must have felt that he was more likely to succeed by emulating the broader mirth of the old or middle comedy, than by the delicate railleries and exquisite painting of Menander.

From History of Roman Literature from its Earliest Period to the Augustan Age. Volume I by John Dunlop

Jean silently shakes his head, and only replies to all these railleries by a kindly smile.

From International Short Stories: French by A. Cheneviere

Suddenly, from the street outside, a very jovial gentleman began to beat with a staff on the shop-door, accompanying his blows with shouts and railleries in which the dealer was continually called upon by name.

From Short Stories for English Courses by Rosa Mary Redding Mikels