persiflage.

Light, frivolous conversation in which people exchange teasing remarks rather than discuss anything seriously.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• idle persiflage
• witty persiflage
• indulge in persiflage

On the page

The dinner began with persiflage, but the conversation grew serious when the letter arrived.

She met his solemn announcement with a little persiflage.

Usage notes

Primary category: literary / elevated prose. Lexical Type: Word. Forms: Usually uncountable; no ordinary plural in this sense. Commonness: uncommon (editorial estimate; not a corpus frequency statistic). Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1; numbered fields keep each relevant meaning separate. Research distinction: Direct dictionary reading: frivolous bantering talk, light raillery. An established English borrowing, not untranslated French. Lightness is intrinsic; no threatening or deceptive meaning is inferred. Individual usefulness checked for a precise literary, narrative, dialogue or critical function. Definitions and examples are original; commonness is an editorial estimate. Mood and intensity apply only to inherent qualities of the specific sense. Writing functions: unserious social chatter, avoiding earnest discussion through light verbal play.