raillery.

Light, witty teasing or joking talk directed at someone without normally intending serious hurt.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• good-natured raillery
• an exchange of raillery
• friendly raillery

On the page

Their familiar raillery made the long walk home seem shorter.

He answered her raillery with an exaggerated bow.

Usage notes

Primary category: literary / elevated prose. Lexical Type: Word. Forms: Countable or uncountable by context; countable singular raillery; plural railleries. 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: noun good-natured ridicule or banter, also an individual jest; plural railleries. Contrast with harsh railing is explicit. Count/mass applications share one core meaning, not padded separate slots. 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: affectionate conversational sparring, teasing distinguished from hostility.