pleasantries

P3L1E1A1S1A1N1T1R1I1E1S1

noun

A short polite conversation before a serious conversation.

“exchanging pleasantries”

Similar
formalityamenities
UncommonScrabble 14
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Meanings

noun
  1. pluralplural of pleasantry
nounpleasantries pl (plural only)
  1. literallypluralplural onlyA short polite conversation before a serious conversation.

    exchanging pleasantries

    Synonyms: formality, amenities

  2. euphemisticironicpluralplural onlyBad language; profanity; swearing.

    Signora Caterina thought it could. Weak, yet cunning—vain, yet conscious of having outlived her attractions—with one of those tempers which we conceive to be the true interpretation of the old fairy tale, where out of the mouth of the party proceeded snakes, toads, locusts, and other pleasantries.

    1831, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter XI, in Romance and Reality. […], volume III, London: Henry Colburn and Richard Bentley, […], →OCLC, page 221

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA short polite conversation before a serious conversation.

Similar
formalityamenities
Also see
amenitiesforetalksmall talk

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

anistreplase
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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