confabulate

con·fab·ul·ate
C3O1N1F4A1B3U1L1A1T1E1
US, UK/kənˈfæbjʊleɪt/

verb

To speak casually with; to chat.

Similar
confabdiscourseparleychatcommonconversateconverseconvo
OriginLatin cōnfābulātus →
Scrabble 18
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Meanings

verbconfabulate (third-person singular simple present confabulates, present participle confabulating, simple past and past participle confabulated)

present singular third person confabulates · participle present confabulating · participle past confabulated · past confabulated

  1. intransitiveTo speak casually with; to chat.

    Synonyms: confab, discourse, parley, chat, common, confab, conversate, converse

  2. intransitiveTo confer.
  3. ambitransitivehuman sciencesTo fabricate memories in order to fill gaps in one's memory.

    "It has been well established that the speech areas in the absence of input often confabulate a response."

    1991, George P. Prigatano Chairman, Daniel L. Schacter, Awareness of Deficit after Brain Injury: Clinical and Theoretical Issues ...

Synonyms & antonyms

verbTo speak casually with; to chat.

Similar
confabdiscourseparleychatcommonconfabconversateconverseconvodiscoursejawparleytreatword

More synonyms by meaning

verbtalk socially without exchanging too much information

Similar
chew the fatshoot the breezechatconfabchitchatchit-chatchatterchaffernattergossipjawclavervisit
Broader
conversediscourse

verbhave a conference in order to talk something over

Similar
conferconfabconsult
Broader
hash outdiscusstalk over
Also see
chafferchatchatterchew the fatchit-chatclavercommonconferconsultconversateconverseconvodiscoursefabricategossipjawnatterparleyshoot the breezetreatvisitword

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Latincōnfābulātus
  2. Englishconfabulate

First attested in 1623; borrowed from Latin cōnfābulātus, perfect active participle of cōnfābulor, see -ate (verb-forming suffix).

More words from Latin

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian конфабулирам
  • конфабулирам (konfabuliram)to fabricate memories in order to fill gaps in one's memory
French confabuler
  • confabulerto fabricate memories in order to fill gaps in one's memory
German konfabulieren
  • konfabulierento fabricate memories in order to fill gaps in one's memory
Norwegian konfabulere
  • konfabulereto fabricate memories in order to fill gaps in one's memory
Spanish confabular
  • confabularto fabricate memories in order to fill gaps in one's memory
Cite this entry
APA

confabulate. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/confabulate

MLA

“confabulate.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/confabulate. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “confabulate,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/confabulate.

Source: confabulate on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.