jest

[ jest ]

noun

1. a joke or witty remark; witticism.

   Synonyms: quip

2. a bantering remark; a piece of good-natured ridicule; taunt.

   Synonyms: gibe, jape

3. sport or fun:

   to speak half in jest, half in earnest.

4. the object of laughter, sport, or mockery; laughing-stock.

   Synonyms: butt

5. Obsolete. an exploit. Compare gest.

verb (used without object)

1. to speak in a playful, humorous, or facetious way; joke.
2. to speak or act in mere sport, rather than in earnest; trifle (often followed by with ):

   Please don't jest with me.

3. to utter derisive speeches; gibe or scoff.

verb (used with object)

1. to deride or joke at; banter.

jest

/ dʒɛst /

noun

1. something done or said for amusement; joke
2. a frivolous mood or attitude; playfulness; fun

   to act in jest

3. a jeer or taunt
4. an object of derision; laughing stock; butt

verb

1. to act or speak in an amusing, teasing, or frivolous way; joke
2. to make fun of (a person or thing); scoff or mock

Derived Forms

• ˈjestingly, adverb
• ˈjesting, adjectivenoun
• ˈjestful, adjective

Other Words From

• jestful adjective
• jesting·ly adverb
• outjest verb (used with object)
• un·jesting adjective
• un·jesting·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of jest¹

1250–1300; Middle English; variant spelling of gest

Word History and Origins

Origin of jest¹

C13: variant of gest

Synonym Study

See joke.

Example Sentences

X, though, alleges it would be difficult for social media companies to determine whether a user’s post was meant in jest, noting that opinions on the AI-altered video of Harris differed.

From Los Angeles Times

I was told last week by Jason Miller, partly in jest, that I shouldn’t worry that there were plenty of people in front of me in line who will be imprisoned.

From Salon

When asked by Politico what exactly Trump meant by that, a campaign official claimed that he was “clearly just floating it in jest.”

From Salon

“We wanted to see what a ‘real’ cult meeting was like,” she said, I think in jest.

From BBC

A few brief, halfhearted laughs gave way to stale air, where the jest hung heavily as the group took mental stock of my presence.

From Salon

More About Jest

What does jest mean?

A jest is a joke, a witty remark, or some kind of action intended to be funny.

When used as a noun, jest can also mean a taunt or jeer, as in Don’t allow his jests to upset you.  

Jest can also be used as a verb meaning to joke around or do something intended to be funny, as in I know you like to jest, but try to be serious this one time. 

The word is most commonly used in the phrase in jest, meaning as a joke, as in I said that in jest—please don’t take it seriously. 

Claiming to have said something in jest is often seen as an excuse intended to avoid responsibility for having offended someone with one’s comments. In fact, there is even an expression that relates to this: “Many a true word is spoken in jest.” This means that when people say they are “only joking” about something, they are probably saying what they really mean.

Example: My comments were offered in jest, but I can understand how they could have offended some people.

Where does jest come from?

The first records of the word jest come from the 1200s. It comes from Middle English and is a variant spelling of the word gest, which means “an exploit” comes from the Latin verb gerere, meaning “to perform.”

The most famous use of jest in all of literature is perhaps in Shakespeare’s Hamlet, in the scene in which Hamlet is holding the skull of the man who was once the king’s jester, Yorick. Hamlet says, “Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio, a fellow of infinite jest, of most excellent fancy.” By describing Yorick as a man of “infinite jest,” Hamlet means Yorick never ran out of jokes or ways to make people laugh. (The title of David Foster Wallace’s novel Infinite Jest is a reference to this line.)

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to jest?

• jestful (adjective)
• jestingly (adverb)
• outjest (verb)
• unjesting (adjective)
• unjestingly (adverb)

What are some synonyms for jest?

• joke
• witticism
• banter
• quip
• joke around
• kid

What are some words that share a root or word element with jest? 

• in jest
• jester

What are some words that often get used in discussing jest?

• laugh
• merry
• clever
• humor
• prank
• infinite

How is jest used in real life?

Today, jest is perhaps most commonly used in the phrase in jest.

"It's a cruel jest to say to a bootless man that he ought to lift himself by his bootstraps.

And many Negroes, by the thousands and millions, have been left bootless … as the result of a society that deliberately made his color a stigma…” https://t.co/ycN2yl4qhP #MLKDay pic.twitter.com/xnEe93S9MN

— NBC News (@NBCNews) January 20, 2020

The way we speak to our spouses matters. It’s not only what we say, but how we say it. Many deep wounds are caused by angry words, spoken in the heat of an argument, or careless words spoken in jest.

— shanan thomas (@shananthomas) September 23, 2020

Bucs' Dirk Koetter: Stafford comments 'said in jest' https://t.co/Atvlza7F9I

— Detroit Free Press (@freep) December 8, 2017

 

 

Try using jest!

Which of the following words is NOT a synonym of jest?

A. joke
B. kid
C. compliment
D. quip