Taunting

Pronunciation: /ˈtɔːntɪŋ/

Definitions of taunting

verb to provoke or challenge someone with insulting or mocking remarks or actions

Example Sentences

A1 The children were taunting each other on the playground.

A2 She felt hurt by the taunting comments from her classmates.

B1 The fans were taunting the opposing team's players throughout the game.

B2 The politician was criticized for taunting their opponent during the debate.

C1 The bully was suspended for taunting other students in a cruel manner.

C2 The taunting behavior of the group escalated into a physical altercation.

Examples of taunting in a Sentence

formal The act of taunting someone is considered disrespectful and unprofessional.

informal Stop taunting your little brother, it's not nice.

slang She was taunting him with jokes about his haircut.

figurative The dark clouds taunted the farmers with the promise of rain but never delivered.

Grammatical Forms of taunting

• past tense: taunted
• plural: taunters
• comparative: more taunting
• superlative: most taunting
• present tense: taunts
• future tense: will taunt
• perfect tense: have taunted
• continuous tense: is taunting
• singular: taunter
• positive degree: taunting
• infinitive: to taunt
• gerund: taunting
• participle: taunted

Origin and Evolution of taunting

First Known Use: 1250 year

Language of Origin: Old French

Story behind the word: The word 'taunting' originated from the Old French word 'tanter' which means 'to provoke or challenge'.

Evolution of the word: Over time, the word 'taunting' has retained its original meaning of provoking or challenging someone, but has also taken on a more negative connotation of mocking or ridiculing someone in a cruel or sarcastic manner.