Definition (Noun) Good-humored ridicule or banter, often disguising a serious purpose; teasing, mockery. In Context "This business of plastering was usually a festival, with laughter and raillery, for there were gaps between the poles, and a handful of mud could fly through a space into the face of a man standing behind: the thing could become a game, like children playing snowballs." Doris Lessing, African Stories, 1981.