Meanings
comparative more palsy-walsy · superlative most palsy-walsy · alternative pally-wally
- slangVery friendly, especially in an excessive or artificial way.
She's gotten palsy-walsy with her in-laws lately.
Synonyms: chummy
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveVery friendly, especially in an excessive or artificial way.
More synonyms by meaning
adjective(used colloquially) having the relationship of friends or pals
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
Reduplicated from pals, + -y (adjectival suffix).
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
palsy-walsy. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/palsy-walsy
“palsy-walsy.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/palsy-walsy. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “palsy-walsy,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/palsy-walsy.
Source: palsy-walsy on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.