pleasantry

[ plez-uhn-tree ]

noun

, plural pleas·ant·ries.

1. good-humored teasing; banter.
2. a humorous or jesting remark.
3. a courteous social remark used to initiate or facilitate a conversation:

   to exchange pleasantries.

4. a humorous action.

pleasantry

/ ˈplɛzəntrɪ /

noun

1. often plural an agreeable or amusing remark, often one made in order to be polite

   they exchanged pleasantries

2. an agreeably humorous manner or style
3. rare.
   enjoyment; pleasantness

   a pleasantry of life

Word History and Origins

Origin of pleasantry¹

1645–55; < French plaisanterie, Old French plesanterie. See pleasant, -ry

Word History and Origins

Origin of pleasantry¹

C17: from French plaisanterie, from plaisant pleasant

Example Sentences

It wasn’t one of these pleasantry kinds of meetings whatsoever.

From Freakonomics

To start, he exchanged pleasantries with the boy before attempting to debunk his testimony.

From Washington Post

The men exchanged pleasantries, Buzbee recalled, and then Buzbee made an offer.

From Washington Post

I joined him and, after some pleasantries, raised the subject.

From Outside Online

Vargas, suspecting the conversation would turn into a recruitment pitch, stopped responding after exchanging pleasantries.

From Time

But this pleasantry, excellent as pleasantry, hardly deserves serious refutation.

From Project Gutenberg

It is a continental form of pleasantry, and an artistic experiment in blasphemy which is taken seriously by the unwise.

From Project Gutenberg

She looked up with a sort of half smile, as if she suspected some pleasantry of which she had not yet detected the drift.

From Project Gutenberg

"I think there is no necessity for carrying a pleasantry into our private life," she said, in a perfectly amiable voice.

From Project Gutenberg

This was evidently local pleasantry, for the old man cackled over it, and his cronies joined in with gusto.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• repartee
• witticism