repartee.

Conversation marked by prompt, clever replies, especially in response to a challenge.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• sparkling repartee
• quick repartee
• a gift for repartee

On the page

Their repartee kept the table amused while concealing a disagreement neither would name.

He had prepared a speech, but her repartee forced him to abandon it after the first sentence.

Usage notes

Primary category: literary. Forms: Usually uncountable; plural repartees is possible for separate witty exchanges. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings.