JEST Synonyms: 168 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the noun 'jest' differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of jest are fun , game , play , and sport . While all these words mean "action or speech that provides amusement or arouses laughter," jest implies lack of earnestness and may suggest a hoaxing or teasing. // hurt by remarks said only in jest

Q: In what contexts can 'fun' take the place of 'jest'?

Although the words fun and jest have much in common, fun usually implies laughter or gaiety but may imply merely a lack of serious or ulterior purpose. // played cards just for fun

Q: How are the words 'game' and 'sport' related as synonyms of 'jest'?

Game is close to sport , and often stresses mischievous or malicious fun. // made game of their poor relations

Q: When is it sensible to use 'play' instead of 'jest'?

The words play and jest can be used in similar contexts, but play stresses the opposition to earnest without implying any malice or mischief. // pretended to strangle his brother in play

Q: When could 'sport' be used to replace 'jest'?

The words sport and jest are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, sport applies especially to the arousing of laughter against someone. // teasing begun in sport led to anger

jest 1 of 2

noun

ˈjest

Definition of jest

as in fun

an attitude or manner not to be taken seriously you should know that our teasing was done entirely in jest

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in joke

something said or done to cause laughter laughed politely at his feeble jest about his pet mosquito

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in prank

a playful or mischievous act intended as a joke putting a mouse in her desk drawer was intended to be a harmless jest

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as in fool

a person or thing that is made fun of his outlandish costumes made him the jest of the town

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

jest

2 of 2

verb

as in to joke

to make jokes when I asked my sister for a loan, she laughingly replied, "Surely you jest!"

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How does the noun jest differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of jest are fun, game, play, and sport. While all these words mean "action or speech that provides amusement or arouses laughter," jest implies lack of earnestness and may suggest a hoaxing or teasing.

hurt by remarks said only in jest

In what contexts can fun take the place of jest?

Although the words fun and jest have much in common, fun usually implies laughter or gaiety but may imply merely a lack of serious or ulterior purpose.

played cards just for fun

How are the words game and sport related as synonyms of jest?

Game is close to sport, and often stresses mischievous or malicious fun.

made game of their poor relations

When is it sensible to use play instead of jest?

The words play and jest can be used in similar contexts, but play stresses the opposition to earnest without implying any malice or mischief.

pretended to strangle his brother in play

When could sport be used to replace jest?

The words sport and jest are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, sport applies especially to the arousing of laughter against someone.

teasing begun in sport led to anger

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of jest

Noun

Sellner positioned the memes as something that could be taken in jest. — Ali Breland, The Atlantic, 23 Jan. 2026 Rich Polk—Getty Images Glaser teased Leonardo DiCaprio about dating much younger women, which is a frequent jest made about the dating life of the One Battle After Another star. — Melissa Locker, Time, 12 Jan. 2026

Verb

Language There’s some crude language, jesting, and mature comedic themes, but but nothing the modern tween or teen hasn’t seen or heard before. — Lynnette Nicholas, Parents, 8 Dec. 2025 And his sense of humor douses jest over images that probably shouldn’t be funny. — Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 29 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for jest

Recent Examples of Synonyms for jest

Noun

Firmware fun Flashing the firmware to the Arduino should be the easy part, but this is when things started falling apart for me.

— Tim Stevens, ArsTechnica, 19 Oct. 2026
Hotels in the area get in on the fun, too, like the Kennebunkport Inn, which places guests in the center of Dock Square and offers Prelude Tents featuring drinks and DJs.

— Jessica Sulima, Condé Nast Traveler, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of fun

Noun

Its frothy, pastel hues and single moment of contrived levity (when one dance claims a trumpet solo for a joke about jamming her toe) is one of those quintessential examples of Balanchine’s repertoire showing its age.

— Lauren Warnecke, Chicago Tribune, 18 Oct. 2026
And the Longhorns’ quarterback, Arch Manning, was the butt of the joke.

— Noah White, Miami Herald, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of joke

Noun

The company claimed an unfinished code left in the system, part of a prank, led to the crash.

— Senior Television, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026
Orenstein acted and wrote for the CBC variety program The Barris Beat, produced by Norman Jewison, then moved to New York in 1965 and landed on the CBS prank show Candid Camera.

— Mike Barnes, HollywoodReporter, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of prank

Noun

Major reports about its immigration actions and pay-for-play operations have gotten significant airtime on the network and praise from Weiss.

— semafor.com, semafor.com, 19 Oct. 2026
Armstrong, appearing in his first NFL game as a rookie out of Cincinnati, hauled in a catch with an athletic play over the middle for 13 yards and a first down.

— Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of play

Noun

But acknowledging a property’s cheesy elements isn’t the same as generating consistent laughs from the situation.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026
Among the biggest laughs of the ceremony came during Friml’s take on an awards-show in memoriam.

— Destiny Jackson, Deadline, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of laugh

Noun

Russell was mentioned in that speech, but in a joking way, playing off of how frequent Oscars director Glenn Weiss, who won for his role helming the 2018 Academy Awards telecast, had used his speech to propose to his then-girlfriend.

— Hilary Lewis, HollywoodReporter, 9 Oct. 2026
Arch Manning's joking comments at a news conference about a fake video of coach Steve Sarkisian slapping ESPN reporter Holly Rowe erupted in controversy.

— ABC News, ABC News, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of joking

Noun

YouTube Europe boss Pedro Pina, a fixture at these events, reminded producers that the platform won’t take work away from them by entering the production game.

— Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 15 Oct. 2026
The Peacock streaming platform shares its weekly exclusive games on YouTube.

— Leo Barraclough, Variety, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of game

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“Jest.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/jest. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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