banter C2+ Topic:Word Formation & Derivatives US /ˈbæntɚ/ UK /ˈbæntə/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 noun playful, teasing conversation The two old friends traded easy banter over lunch. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 noun · playful, teasing conversation reparteebadinagerailleryteasingchaffribbingjoshing Word family Derived forms banteringbanterer Etymology AI details Of uncertain origin, first attested in late 17th-century English slang; Jonathan Swift called it a fashionable cant word of unknown derivation. Topics Word Formation & Derivatives General Vocabulary External links Google Images Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary # banter **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** noun **IPA (US):** /ˈbæntɚ/ **IPA (UK):** /ˈbæntə/ ## Meanings 1. playful, teasing conversation ## Examples - The two old friends traded easy banter over lunch. ## Synonyms - repartee - badinage - raillery - teasing - chaff - ribbing - joshing ## Derived Forms - bantering - banterer ## Etymology Of uncertain origin, first attested in late 17th-century English slang; Jonathan Swift called it a fashionable cant word of unknown derivation. ## AI Etymology banter is of uncertain origin, first attested in late 17th-century English slang; Jonathan Swift called it a fashionable cant word of unknown derivation. The explanation preserves that uncertainty: the proposed comparisons illuminate the form, but they do not turn the word into a securely traced inheritance or borrowing. In modern use, the noun sense is "playful, teasing conversation", which keeps the etymology connected to the word's present dictionary value rather than treating it as a merely historical label. The wider word family includes derivatives such as bantering, banterer, showing how the same base continues to support neighboring English vocabulary. ## Topics - Word Formation & Derivatives - General Vocabulary markdown