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Banter vs Bickering - What's the difference?

banter | bickering |

As nouns the difference between banter and bickering

is that banter is good-humoured, playful, typically spontaneous conversation while bickering is petty quarreling usually considered a childish behaviour, although often applied to adults.

As verbs the difference between banter and bickering

is that banter is to engage in banter or playful conversation while bickering is .

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

    *

    bickering

    English

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • Petty quarreling. Usually considered a childish behaviour, although often applied to adults.
  • * 1820 , in Memoirs of John Duke of Marlborough , By William Coxe, Ch.40 heading.
  • Meeting of Parliament. — Choice of a whig Speaker. — Speech from the throne. — Parliamentary proceedings, and party bickerings .
  • * {{quote-news
  • , year=2011 , date=October 15 , author=Phil McNulty , title=Liverpool 1 - 1 Man Utd , work=BBC Sport citation , page= , passage=After Evra was also shown a yellow card following a prolonged bout of bickering which also involved Suarez, Ferguson decided on a double change by replacing Park Ji-sung and Ashley Young with Nani and Rooney.}}

    Verb

    (head)