Makes fun of someone in a playful or unkind way, or separates tangled fibers like wool or hair.
From Old English 'tæsan' meaning to pluck or pull apart, which matches the textile meaning. The mocking sense came later as an extension of pulling or irritating.
The same word for separating wool fibers and making fun of someone shows how 'teasing' is really about pulling things apart—whether threads or someone's confidence. The word literally means to unravel.
Gendered double-standard: teasing behavior labeled 'charming' in men, 'manipulative' or 'flirtatious' in women; associated with femininity as a tool of seduction rather than playfulness.
Use 'teases' descriptively without moral judgment; specify context (playful, cruel, flirtatious) to avoid gendered assumptions.
["playfully provokes","banters","gently mocks"]
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