Meanings
adverbhalf-jokingly (not comparable)
- not comparableWith an element of jest, but fundamentally in earnest.
I wrote a piece, half-jokingly, for The Independent suggesting that it was all part of a cunning plan by ministers to deter people from using the railways. […] I now suspect this was rather closer to the truth than I had thought.
2023 July 26, Christian Wolmar, “Closing ticket offices to lead to 'catch-22' for passengers”, in RAIL, number 988, page 42
Origin
Translations
Czech napůl žertem
- napůl žertemwith an element of jest, but fundamentally in earnest
Italian tra il serio e il faceto
- tra il serio e il facetowith an element of jest, but fundamentally in earnest
Polish półżartem, pół żartem, pół serio
- półżartemwith an element of jest, but fundamentally in earnest
- pół żartem, pół seriowith an element of jest, but fundamentally in earnest
Russian полушутя
- полушутя (polušutja)with an element of jest, but fundamentally in earnest
Scottish Gaelic eadar fealla-dhà is fealla-trì, eadar fealla-dhà is fealla-rìribh
- eadar fealla-dhà is fealla-trìwith an element of jest, but fundamentally in earnest
- eadar fealla-dhà is fealla-rìribhwith an element of jest, but fundamentally in earnest
Spanish entre bromas y veras, medio en broma
- entre bromas y veraswith an element of jest, but fundamentally in earnest
- medio en bromawith an element of jest, but fundamentally in earnest
Swedish halvt på skämt
- halvt på skämtwith an element of jest, but fundamentally in earnest
Cite this entry
APA
half-jokingly. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/half-jokingly
MLA
“half-jokingly.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/half-jokingly. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “half-jokingly,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/half-jokingly.
Source: half-jokingly on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.