Standard Lemma guide

conversationalist

noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˌkɒnvəˈseɪʃənəlɪst/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • US: /ˌkɑːnvɚˈseɪʃənəlɪst/
  • CMU ARPABET: K AA2 N V ER0 S EY1 SH AH0 N AH0 L AH0 S T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A person who participates in a conversation.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • If you can just ask questions about a person and nod sagely then they will leave thinking you are a brilliant conversationalist.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A person skilled in general conversation.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

someone skilled at conversation

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: conversationist, schmoozer

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: speaker, talker, utterer, verbalizer, verbaliser

Narrower terms: deipnosophist, interlocutor, conversational partner

History

Etymology

Etymology tree English conversation English -al English conversational Proto-Indo-European *-id- Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-idyéti Proto-Hellenic *-íďďō Ancient Greek -ῐ́ζω (-ĭ́zō) Proto-Hellenic *-tās Ancient Greek -τής (-tḗs) Ancient Greek -ῐστής (-ĭstḗs)bor. Latin -istader. Old French -istebor. Middle English -ist English -ist English conversationalist From conversational + -ist.

Across languages

Translations

22 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Finnish: keskustelija — one who participates in a conversation
  • German: Gesprächspartner — one who participates in a conversation
  • German: Plauderer — one who participates in a conversation
  • Italian: conversatore — one who participates in a conversation
  • Italian: conversatrice — one who participates in a conversation
  • Manx: coloayrtagh — one who participates in a conversation
  • Old English: ġespreca — one who participates in a conversation
  • Portuguese: conversador — one who participates in a conversation
  • Portuguese: conversadora — one who participates in a conversation
  • Spanish: conversador — one who participates in a conversation
  • Spanish: conversadora — one who participates in a conversation
  • Volapük: spikotan — one who participates in a conversation
  • Volapük: hispikotan — one who participates in a conversation
  • Volapük: jispikotan — one who participates in a conversation
  • Galician: falangueiro — one skilled in general conversation
  • Irish: comhráiteach — one skilled in general conversation
  • Manx: coloayrtagh — one skilled in general conversation
  • Serbo-Croatian: ко̀зе̄р — one skilled in general conversation
  • Serbo-Croatian: kòzēr — one skilled in general conversation
  • Volapük: spikotälan — one skilled in general conversation
  • Volapük: hispikotälan — one skilled in general conversation
  • Volapük: jispikotälan — one skilled in general conversation