fooling
Pulling someone's leg
Fooling is playful, joking behavior—not meant to be taken seriously: We were just fooling around.
To fool someone is to deceive them, so fooling can also mean tricking: You're not fooling anyone with that excuse.
The phrase no fooling emphasizes sincerity: No fooling, I really saw it.
Causing false belief
- trickingAct of deceiving
- misleadingCausing false beliefs
- dupingDeliberately misleading another
- conningDefrauding through deception
swindling · scamming · hoaxing · hoodwinking · bamboozling · defrauding · cheating · beguiling
Saying things in fun
- jestingPlayful, unserious speech
- kiddingTeasing playfully
- teasingPlayful, mild ridicule
- banteringLight, playful teasing
wisecracking · quipping · clowning · goofing · ribbing · joshing · razzing · spoofing
Engaging in boisterous play
- messing aroundIdle, aimless activity
- goofing offIdling instead of working
- larkingPlayful, carefree activity
- frolickingLighthearted energetic movement
cavorting · romping · skylarking · monkeying around · clowning around · shenanigans · hijinks · antics
deceiving
Causing false belief
- trickingAct of deceiving
- misleadingCausing false beliefs
- dupingDeliberately misleading another
conning · swindling · scamming · hoaxing · hoodwinking · bamboozling · defrauding · cheating · beguiling · manipulating
joking
Saying things in fun
bantering · wisecracking · quipping · clowning · goofing · ribbing · joshing · razzing · spoofing · lampooning
horsing around
Engaging in boisterous play
- messing aroundIdle, aimless activity
- goofing offIdling instead of working
- larkingPlayful, carefree activity
frolicking · cavorting · romping · skylarking · monkeying around · clowning around · shenanigans · hijinks · antics · horseplay
gullible
Easily deceived
- credulousProne to blind trust
- naiveInnocently unsuspecting
- unsuspectingNot anticipating danger
trusting · unwary · taken in · duped · suckered · fall for · swallow · buy it · be had · mark
- cunningcunning, craftiness, crafty, guile, slyness
- fooling aroundjoking, kidding, jesting, teasing, joshing
- anticshijinks, shenanigans, pranks, mischief, capers
- messing aroundgoofing, goofing off, horsing around, messing with, monkeying
- teasingtease, teasing, rib, ribbing, josh
- pretendingpretend, pretending, fake, feign, make-believe
foolingenlightening
Providing new understanding
informing · educating · clarifying · illuminating · teaching
- fooling aroundIdle playful behavior
- fooling withHandling without purpose
- penny wise, pound foolishEconomizing on trifles, squandering on essentials
- penny wise and pound foolishEconomizing on trifles while squandering larger sums
- fooling yourself
- fooling aboutBehaving without seriousness