raillery

R1A1I1L1L1E1R1Y4
/ˈɹeɪləɹi/obsolete/ˈɹæləɹi/

noun

Good-natured banter, jest, or ridicule.

RareScrabble 11

Meanings

nounraillery (countable and uncountable, plural railleries)

plural railleries

  1. countableuncountableGood-natured banter, jest, or ridicule.

    Excitement instantly seized the whole party: a running fire of raillery and jests was proceeding when Sam returned.

    1847 October 16, Currer Bell [pseudonym; Charlotte Brontë], chapter XVIII, in Jane Eyre. […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), London: Smith, Elder, and Co., […], →OCLC
    3 more examples

    Flip [Lady Flippant]. I love, of my life men ſhould deal freely vvith me; there are ſo fevv men vvill deal freely with one— / Sir Sim[on Addlepot]. Are you not a Fireſhip? a Punk, Madam? / Flip. VVell, Sir, I love Raillery. / Sir Sim. Faith and troth I do not railly, I deal freely.

    1671 March (first performance), [William] Wycherley, Love in a Wood, or, St James’s Park. A Comedy, […], London: […] J[ohn] M[acock] for H[enry] Herringman, […], published 1672, →OCLC, Act II, page 22

    It is so indeed—Charles—they give into all the substantial Luxuries of the Table—and abstain from nothing but wine and wit—Oh, certainly society suffers by it intolerably—for now instead of the social spirit of Raillery that used to mantle over a glass of bright Burgundy their conversation is become just like the Spa water they drink which has all the Pertness and flatulence of champaine without its spirit or Flavour.

    1777, Richard Brinsley Sheridan, The School for Scandal, act III, scene iii

    Lady Feng was at the moment having a little goodhumoured raillery with Yüan Yang, and was taken so much off her guard, that she was quite startled out of her senses.

    1892–1893, Cao Xueqin, translated by H. Bencraft Joly, Hung Lou Mêng; or, The Dream of the Red Chamber; a Chinese Novel, Hong Kong: Kelly & Walsh, →OCLC

Synonyms & antonyms

nounlight teasing repartee

Broader

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Frenchraillerie
  2. Frenchraillerie
  3. Englishraillery

Borrowed from French raillerie.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

raillery. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/raillery

MLA

“raillery.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/raillery. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “raillery,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/raillery.

Source: raillery on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.