Synonyms for playing
- dance
- caper
- carouse
- cavort
- clown
- dally
- disport
- divert
- frisk
- frolic
- gambol
- joke
- jump
- kibitz
- rejoice
- revel
- romp
- skip
- sport
- toy
- trifle
- amuse oneself
- be life of party
- carry on
- cut capers
- cut up
- entertain oneself
- fool around
- go on a spree
- horse around
- idle away
- kick up heels
- let go
- let loose
- let one's hair down
- make merry
- mess around
- show off
Antonyms for playing
EXAMPLES FROM THE WEB FOR PLAYING
In these solitary tours he was busy and happy, working and playing.
She thought merely that Sidney was playing a game like her own, with different weapons.
Kitty paused in the hall, playing with the roses in a bowl upon the table.
It's such fun, just like playing house, to be by ourselves and independent of all the world.
That's why it will be worth while playing the field to beat him.
Your men were playing a funny game—hare and hounds, it looked like.
A child could have seen that I wasn't just playing the fool.
"Yes, of course; the one playing with the priest," I answered, quickly.
In less than three minutes, I am certain, we were playing on the enemy with the fresh gun.
We were much provoked at the insult of playing the Rogue's March.
WORD ORIGIN
Old English plegan, plegian "move rapidly, occupy or busy oneself, exercise; frolic; make sport of, mock; perform music," from West Germanic *plegan "occupy oneself about" (cf. Old Saxon plegan "vouch for, take charge of," Old Frisian plega "tend to," Middle Dutch pleyen "to rejoice, be glad," German pflegen "take care of, cultivate"), from PIE root *dlegh- "to engage oneself," forming words in Celtic, Germanic, Slavic, and possibly Latin.
Meaning "to take part in a game" is from c.1200. Opposed to work (v.) since late 14c. Related: Played; playing. To play up "emphasize" is from 1909; to play down "minimize" is from 1930; to play along "cooperate" is from 1929. To play with oneself "masturbate" is from 1896; play for keeps is from 1861, originally of marbles or other children's games with tokens. To play second fiddle in the figurative sense is from 1809 ("Gil Blas"). To play into the hands (of someone) is from 1705. To play the _______ card is attested from 1886; to play fair is from mid-15c. To play (something) safe is from 1911; to play favorites is attested from 1902. For play the field see field (n.).
MORE RELATED WORDS FOR PLAYING
acting
nounentertaining, performing- assuming
- characterization
- depiction
- dramatics
- dramatizing
- enacting
- enactment
- feigning
- hamming
- histrionics
- imitating
- imitation
- impersonation
- improvisation
- mime
- mimicry
- pantomime
- performance
- play acting
- playing
- portrayal
- portraying
- posing
- posturing
- pretending
- pretense
- putting
- rendition
- seeming
- showing off
- simulating
- stagecraft
- stooging
- theatre
- theatricals