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Banter vs Bicker - What's the difference?

banter | bicker |

As nouns the difference between banter and bicker

is that banter is good-humoured, playful, typically spontaneous conversation while bicker is a skirmish; an encounter.

As verbs the difference between banter and bicker

is that banter is to engage in banter or playful conversation while bicker is to quarrel in a tiresome, insulting manner.

banter

English

Noun

(-)
  • Good-humoured, playful, typically spontaneous conversation.
    • It seemed like I'd have to listen to her playful banter for hours.

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To engage in banter or playful conversation.
  • To play or do something amusing.
  • To tease (someone) mildly.
  • * Washington Irving
    • Hag-ridden by my own fancy all night, and then bantered on my haggard looks the next day.
  • * Charlotte Brontë
    • Mr. Sweeting was bantered about his stature—he was a little man, a mere boy in height and breadth compared with the athletic Malone
  • To joke about; to ridicule (a trait, habit, etc.).
  • * Chatham
    • If they banter' your regularity, order, and love of study, ' banter in return their neglect of them.
  • To delude or trick; to play a prank upon.
  • * Daniel De Foe
    • We diverted ourselves with bantering several poor scholars with hopes of being at least his lordship's chaplain.
  • (transitive, US, Southern and Western, colloquial) To challenge to a match.

    • Synonyms

    * (tease) kid, wind up

    Derived terms

    * (l)

    References

    Anagrams

    *

    bicker

    English

    Etymology 1

    (etyl) bikeren ‘to attack’, from (etyl) bicken ‘to stab, attack’ (modern bikken ‘to hack’), from (etyl) ‘to smash, break’.

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To quarrel in a tiresome, insulting manner.
    • They bickered about dinner every evening.
  • * Barrow
    • petty things about which men cark and bicker
  • To move tremulously, quiver, shimmer (of a water stream, of a flame)
  • *XIX cent,
    • I come from haunts of coot and hern, / I make a sudden sally, / And sparkle out among the fern, / To bicker down a valley.
  • * Thomson
    • They [streamlets] bickered through the sunny shade.
  • To skirmish; to exchange blows; to fight.
  • * Holland
    • Two eagles had a conflict, and bickered together.
    Derived terms
    *bickerer
    Synonyms
    * wrangle * See also

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A skirmish; an encounter.
  • (Scotland, obsolete) A fight with stones between two parties of boys.
    • (Jamieson)
  • A wrangle; also, a noise, as in angry contention.

    • Etymology 2

    See beaker.

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A small wooden vessel made of staves and hoops, like a tub.
    • (Webster 1913)

    External links

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