teasing

English

Etymology

From tease +‎ -ing.

Pronunciation

• enPR: tēz′ĭng
• (Received Pronunciation, Australia) IPA^(key): /ˈtiːz.ɪŋ/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• (General American, Canada, Scotland) IPA^(key): /ˈtiz.ɪŋ/
• (New Zealand) IPA^(key): /ˈtiːz.əŋ/
• (India) IPA^(key): /ˈʈiːz.ɪŋ/
• Rhymes: -iːzɪŋ
• Hyphenation: teas‧ing

Verb

teasing

1. present participle and gerund of tease

Noun

teasing (countable and uncountable, plural teasings)

2. The act of harassing someone playfully or maliciously, especially by ridicule; provoking someone with persistent annoyances; making fun of, making light of someone.

   Synonyms: (dated) quizzery, ribbing, tantalization, tease

   Hypernym: bullying

   Teasing can be seen as a kind of workplace abuse.

   The gentle teasing between siblings filled the house with laughter.

3. The act of removing tangles from one's hair with a comb.

   Synonym: comb-out

   The teasing of her curls took nearly an hour with the fine-tooth comb.

Derived terms

• Adam-teasing
• Eve-teasing

Descendants

• → French: teasing

Adjective

teasing (comparative more teasing, superlative most teasing)

1. Playfully vexing, especially by ridicule.

   Synonyms: mocking, quizzical

   The children exchanged teasing remarks during recess.

2. Arousing sexual desire without intending to satisfy it.

   The actress gave him a teasing glance before walking away.

3. Causing irritation or annoyance.

   Synonyms: annoying, bothersome, galling, irritating, nettlesome, pesky, pestering, pestiferous, plaguey, plaguy, vexatious, vexing

   The teasing itch from the mosquito bite drove her crazy.

Derived terms

• brainteasing
• teasingly

See also

• (noun) harassment, molestation; caper, frolic, gambol, play, romp; comb, combing
• (adjective): playful; seductive; disagreeable

Further reading

• “teasing”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

Anagrams

• gainset, gainest, ageinst, easting, tagines, giantes, tangies, tsigane, eatings, ingesta, seating, genista, signate, ingates

French

teasing (sense 1)

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English teasing.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ti.ziŋ/

• Hyphenation: tea‧sing

Noun

teasing m (uncountable)

2. a type of enigmatic advertisement; teaser campaign, pre-launch campaign

   Synonym: aguichage

Related terms

• teaser