BAITING Synonyms: 129 Similar and Opposite Words

baiting 1 of 2

adjective

as in mocking

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baiting

2 of 2

verb

present participle of bait

as in taunting

to attack repeatedly with mean put-downs or insults I wished the candidates would stop baiting each other and instead address the real issues

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in tempting

to lead away from a usual or proper course by offering some pleasure or advantage the investment scheme cunningly baits the greedy and the unscrupulous

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of baiting

Verb

In Pakistan, Choudhary told me, the workforce of the author-baiting scams is largely made up of high-school and university graduates. — Snigdha Poonam, The Dial, 13 Oct. 2026 But someone needs to jar Bell's memory and adjust his grasp of facts to get him off this race-baiting narrative. — Armando Salguero Outkick, FOXNews.com, 1 Oct. 2026 Our top picks include the second season of a stylish video game spin-off anime and an Emmy-baiting prestige drama. — K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 29 Sep. 2026 It may be overlooked, considering how comfortable Suzuki appears when carrying out Unai Emery’s ploy of his backline baiting an opponent’s press, but at Parma, he was required to kick mostly long. — Aston Villa, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026 Another day, another millennial-nostalgia-baiting sequel to a classic late 1990s or early 2000s movie. — Lauren O’Neill, Vogue, 29 Aug. 2026 Warriors fans might just have to stomach a few shameless foul-baiting antics in a late back-to-back in Oklahoma City. — Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 13 Aug. 2026 The genre, with its sanitized storylines and Oscar-baiting pretensions, seems fundamentally at odds with the iconoclastic chef and television personality. — Seija Rankin, HollywoodReporter, 6 Aug. 2026 When baiting large animals was outlawed in the 1800s, people turned instead to fighting their dogs against each other. — Kimi Robinson, USA Today, 3 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for baiting

Adjective

To get a sense of his whole deal, look no further than the half-mocking, half-earnest title of his latest album, Country!

— Jonathan Bernstein, Rolling Stone, 23 Sep. 2025

Definition of mocking

Verb

Their highest-profile signing has come on the women’s side, tempting Polish great Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney, second at both the Tour de France and World Championships this season, to join from Canyon-SRAM.

— Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 13 Oct. 2026
The snacks spill from every aisle, tempting you with Ghost Pepper Potato Chips and two-bite cookies in plastic drums while you’re supposed to be finding the frozen broccoli.

— Alex Beggs, Bon Appetit Magazine, 22 Sep. 2026

Definition of tempting

Adjective

These were actors who may have earlier been needling at or attempting to push my boundaries.

— Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 18 Sep. 2026
But for those who find (and in some cases may be slightly mystified as to why) that there is a nagging, needling value to Schrader’s ongoing project of tussling with grandiose dilemmas of transgression and deliverance, there is some new news here.

— Jessica Kiang, Variety, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of needling

Verb

After teasing the collab on their respective social channels earlier this week, the two have officially released their 37-piece collection—consisting of knits, jackets, and pants—in stores and online worldwide today.

— Bianca Kratky, Glamour, 23 Oct. 2026
Chris Pratt is teasing his return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) to reprise his role as Star-Lord from Guardians of the Galaxy.

— Armando Tinoco, Deadline, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of teasing

Verb

That is how the awe of AI is luring our attention away from the slow and steady assault by America’s race demons.

— Kamau Bobb October 21, Literary Hub, 21 Oct. 2026
The Hoosiers paid handsomely for their big pickup via the transfer portal, luring him from Michigan State.

— Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of luring

Adjective

There was also an August 2024 incident at Fenway when Duran hurled a homophobic slur at a heckling fan.

— Greg Dudek, Hartford Courant, 28 June 2026
Charles Barkley was once spitting mad at a heckling fan, and his expectoration wound up splashing on an 8-year-old girl.

— Jon Greenberg, New York Times, 22 May 2026

Definition of heckling

Verb

Adva Lavie, an OnlyFans model, already is facing criminal charges in Los Angeles County for allegedly seducing and stealing from rich men.

— Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2026
Still, with more than 40,000 industry jobs lost in the past few years, soundstages and vendor storefronts sitting empty, and lucrative overseas incentives seducing even more production away, things are bleak in town right now.

— Dominic Patten, Deadline, 6 Aug. 2026

Definition of seducing

Browse Nearby Words

baiters

baiting

baits

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Cite this Entry

Style

“Baiting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/baiting. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of baiting

adjective

verb

Example Sentences

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