jest
[noun]
Synonyms:
- joke, bon mot, crack (slang), jape, pleasantry, prank, quip, wisecrack (informal), witticism
[verb]
Synonyms:
- joke, kid (informal), mock, quip, tease

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Antonyms: earnest
Contrasted words: gravity, seriousness, soberness
Related Words: banter, chaff, jolly, derision, ridicule, twit

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. jest¹ /dʒest/ noun [countable] formal
[Date: 1200-1300; Language: Old French; Origin: geste 'action', from Latin gesta (plural), from gerere 'to behave, perform']
something you say that is intended to be funny, not serious Synonym : joke:
I wasn’t sure whether to treat her words as a jest.
in jest
His serious face told me that he was not speaking in jest.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. jest² verb [intransitive] formal or old use
to say things that you do not really mean in order to amuse people:
‘Do I look as if I am jesting?’ she asked, her face pale and tense.
—jestingly adverb

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲