Repartee vs Reply - What's the difference?
repartee | reply | Synonyms |
A swift, witty reply, especially one that is amusing.
* 1919 ,
* 1851 , (Herman Melville), (Moby-Dick)
A conversation marked by a series of witty retorts.
*
, title=(The Celebrity), chapter=8
, passage=The humor of my proposition appealed more strongly to Miss Trevor than I had looked for, and from that time forward she became her old self again;
To reply with a
* {{quote-book, year=1862, author=Various, section=Vol. 2 No 4, title=The Continental Monthly, chapter=, edition=
, passage=Aubrey speaks of him as 'incomparable at reparteeing , the bull that was bayted, his witt beinge most sparkling, when most set on and provoked.' }}
To have a (conversation marked by repartees)
* {{quote-book, year=1913, author=Gouverneur Morris, title=The Penalty, chapter=, edition=
, passage=To see them together, friendly, reparteeing , chummy, would turn your stomach--Barbara so exquisite and high-born, and the man, his eyes full of evil fires, sitting like a great toad on the model's chair. }}
(intransitive) To give a written or spoken response, especially to a question, request, accusation or criticism; to answer.
To act or gesture in response.
* 1988 , Emmanuel Doe Ziorklui, Ghana: Nkrumah to Rawlings
To repeat something back; to echo.
A written or spoken response; part of a conversation.
Something given in reply.
Repartee is a synonym of reply.
As nouns the difference between repartee and reply
is that repartee is a swift, witty reply, especially one that is amusing while reply is a written or spoken response; part of a conversation.As verbs the difference between repartee and reply
is that repartee is to reply with a while reply is (intransitive) to give a written or spoken response, especially to a question, request, accusation or criticism; to answer.repartee
English
Noun
(en noun)- A slight smile broke on his lips. ¶ "You are always prepared to sacrifice your principles for a repartee ," he answered.
- Yet habit—strange thing! what cannot habit accomplish?—Gayer sallies, more merry mirth, better jokes, and brighter repartees , you never heard over your mahogany
Synonyms
* See alsoVerb
citation
citation
Anagrams
* *reply
English
Verb
(en-verb)- Please reply to my letter.
- "Sorry I'm late," replied the student.
- He replied that he was not sure.
- Joanne replied to Pete's insult with a slap to his face.
- It is a sound to be dreaded until you ascertain that it is being made by friendly forces; even then, your welcome to it must be tempered with some caution, because gunfire usually leads to replying gunfire