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1. Playfully vexing (especially by ridicule)
   "his face wore a somewhat teasing almost impertinent air";
   - mocking, quizzical
    
2. Arousing sexual desire without intending to satisfy it
   "her lazy teasing smile"
    
3. Causing irritation or annoyance
   "a teasing and persistent thought annoyed him";
   - annoying, bothersome, galling, irritating, nettlesome, pesky [informal], pestering, pestiferous, plaguy, plaguey, vexatious, vexing, irksome, niggly, dratted [informal]

1. The act of harassing someone playfully or maliciously (especially by ridicule); provoking someone with persistent annoyances
   "he ignored their teasings";
   - tease, ribbing, tantalization, wind-up [Brit, informal], tantalisation [Brit]
    
2. Playful vexation
   "the parody was just a form of teasing"
    
3. The act of using a comb to remove tangles from hair
   - comb-out

1. Mock or make fun of playfully
   "the flirting man teased the young woman";
   - jape
    
2. Annoy persistently
   "The children teased the boy because of his stammer";
   - badger, pester, bug, beleaguer
    
3. Deliberately provoke by mocking or poking fun, often in an aggressive manner
   "The children teased the new teacher";
   - razz [N. Amer, informal], rag, cod [Brit, informal], bait, taunt, twit [informal], rally, ride [N. Amer, informal], wind up [Brit, informal]
    
4. To arouse hope, desire, or curiosity without satisfying them
   "The advertisement is intended to tease the customers"; "She has a way of teasing men with her flirtatious behaviour"
    
5. Tear into pieces
   "tease tissue for microscopic examinations"
    
6. Raise the nap of (fabrics)
    
7. Disentangle and raise the fibers of
   "tease wool";
   - tease apart, loosen
    
8. Separate the fibers of
   "tease wool";
   - card
    
9. Ruffle (one's hair) by combing the ends towards the scalp, for a full effect
   - fluff

Derived forms: teasings

See also: disagreeable, ludic [formal], playful, seductive

Type of: bedevil, bemock, blackguard, caper [informal], change surface, comb, comb out, combing, control, crucify, disentangle, dun, frolic, frustrate, gambol, guy, harassment, jest at, keep in line, laugh at, make fun, manipulate, mock, molestation, play, poke fun, rag, rib [informal], ridicule, rip up, roast [informal], romp, separate, shred, straighten out, tear up, torment, unsnarl

Encyclopedia: Teasing