Meanings
alternative small-talk · alternative smalltalk
- idiomaticuncountableIdle conversation, typically regarding innocuous or unimportant subjects, usually engaged in at social gatherings out of politeness.
If he had a fault as a conversationalist, it was a certain tendency to monotony, a certain lack of sparkle and variety in his small-talk.
1910, P. G. Wodehouse, Misunderstood2 more examples
[T]o the credit of the lady it may be added, that […] without any of the arts of flattery or the gaieties of small talk, he began to be agreeable to her.
1814 May 9, [Jane Austen], chapter VII, in Mansfield Park: […], volume I, London: […] [George Sidney] for T[homas] Egerton, […], →OCLC, page 134Yet for so public a figure, Jackson was socially awkward, inept at small talk and terrified when the distant audience became an adoring mob.
2009 June 10, John Cloud, “Michael Jackson 1958–2009”, in Time, archived from the original on 19 Sep 2010Synonyms: chit-chat, pleasantries, foretalk
Synonyms & antonyms
nounIdle conversation, typically regarding innocuous or unimportant subjects, usually engaged in at social gatherings out of politeness.
More synonyms by meaning
nounlight informal conversation for social occasions
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Translations
Arabic كَلَام خَفِيف, مُحَادَثَة خَفِيفَة
- كَلَام خَفِيف (kalām ḵafīf)idle conversation
- مُحَادَثَة خَفِيفَة (muḥādaṯa ḵafīfa)idle conversation
Bulgarian све́тски ра́зговор
- све́тски ра́зговор (svétski rázgovor)idle conversation
Catalan xerrameca, garleries
- xerramecaidle conversation
- garleriesidle conversation
Chinese Mandarin 閑談 /闲谈, 聊天
- 閑談 /闲谈 (xiántán)idle conversation
- 聊天 (liáotiān)idle conversation
- 寒暄 (hánxuān)idle conversation
Czech tlachání, nezávazná konverzace
- tlacháníidle conversation
- nezávazná konverzaceidle conversation
Dutch praatje, koetjes en kalfjes
- praatjeidle conversation
- koetjes en kalfjesidle conversation
- lichte conversatieidle conversation
Finnish rupattelu, jutustelu
- rupatteluidle conversation
- jutusteluidle conversation
- small talkidle conversation
French papotage, bavardage
- papotageidle conversation
- bavardageidle conversation
German Alltagsgespräch, Plauderei
- Alltagsgesprächidle conversation
- Plaudereiidle conversation
- Smalltalkidle conversation
- Plaudernidle conversation
- belangloses Gesprächidle conversation
- belanglose Unterhaltungidle conversation
Hebrew סמול טוק
- סמול טוק (smól tok)idle conversation
Hungarian terefere, társalgás
- terefereidle conversation
- társalgásidle conversation
Icelandic rabb, mas
- rabbidle conversation
- masidle conversation
Irish cabaireacht, mionchomhrá
- cabaireachtidle conversation
- mionchomhráidle conversation
Italian chiacchiera
- chiacchieraidle conversation
Japanese 雑談, 世間話
- 雑談 (zatsudan)idle conversation
- 世間話 (sekembanashi)idle conversation
Korean 잡담, 한담
- 잡담 (japdam)idle conversation
- 한담 (handam)idle conversation
Latin sermunculus
- sermunculusidle conversation
Māori tūtara
- tūtaraidle conversation
Norwegian Bokmål småprat
- småpratidle conversation
Polish small talk
- small talkidle conversation
Portuguese conversa fiada
- conversa fiadaidle conversation
Russian лёгкая бесе́да, све́тский разгово́р
- лёгкая бесе́да (ljóxkaja beséda)idle conversation
- све́тский разгово́р (svétskij razgovór)idle conversation
Spanish charla, palique
- charlaidle conversation
- paliqueidle conversation
- chácharaidle conversation
- tequeidle conversation
- charloteoidle conversation
Swedish kallprat, småprat
- kallpratidle conversation
- småpratidle conversation
Welsh mân siarad
- mân siaradidle conversation
Cite this entry
small talk. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/small%20talk
“small talk.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/small%20talk. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “small talk,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/small%20talk.
Source: small talk on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.