Phrase guide

small talk

noun · 2 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

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1

noun

Meaning 1

Idle conversation, typically regarding innocuous or unimportant subjects, usually engaged in at social gatherings out of politeness.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: idiomatic, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

light informal conversation for social occasions

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: chitchat, chit-chat, chit chat, gab, gabfest, gossip, tittle-tattle, chin wag, chin-wag, chin wagging, chin-wagging, causerie

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: chat, confab, confabulation, schmooze, schmoose

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

54 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: كَلَام خَفِيف (kalām ḵafīf) — idle conversation
  • Arabic: مُحَادَثَة خَفِيفَة (muḥādaṯa ḵafīfa) — idle conversation
  • Bulgarian: све́тски ра́зговор (svétski rázgovor) — idle conversation
  • Catalan: xerrameca — idle conversation
  • Catalan: garleries — idle conversation
  • Chinese Mandarin: 閑談 /闲谈 (xiántán) — idle conversation
  • Chinese Mandarin: 聊天 (liáotiān) — idle conversation
  • Chinese Mandarin: 寒暄 (hánxuān) — idle conversation
  • Czech: tlachání — idle conversation
  • Czech: nezávazná konverzace — idle conversation
  • Dutch: praatje — idle conversation
  • Dutch: koetjes en kalfjes — idle conversation
  • Dutch: lichte conversatie — idle conversation
  • Finnish: rupattelu — idle conversation
  • Finnish: jutustelu — idle conversation
  • Finnish: small talk — idle conversation
  • French: papotage — idle conversation
  • French: bavardage — idle conversation
  • Galician: parola — idle conversation
  • Galician: leria — idle conversation
  • German: Alltagsgespräch — idle conversation
  • German: Plauderei — idle conversation
  • German: Smalltalk — idle conversation
  • German: Plaudern — idle conversation
  • German: belangloses Gespräch — idle conversation
  • German: belanglose Unterhaltung — idle conversation
  • Hebrew: סמול טוק (smól tok) — idle conversation
  • Hungarian: terefere — idle conversation
  • Hungarian: társalgás — idle conversation
  • Icelandic: rabb — idle conversation
  • Icelandic: mas — idle conversation
  • Irish: cabaireacht — idle conversation
  • Irish: mionchomhrá — idle conversation
  • Italian: chiacchiera — idle conversation
  • Japanese: 雑談 (zatsudan) — idle conversation
  • Japanese: 世間話 (sekembanashi) — idle conversation
  • Korean: 잡담 (japdam) — idle conversation
  • Korean: 한담 (handam) — idle conversation
  • Latin: sermunculus — idle conversation
  • Māori: tūtara — idle conversation
  • Norwegian Bokmål: småprat — idle conversation
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: småprat — idle conversation
  • Polish: small talk — idle conversation
  • Portuguese: conversa fiada — idle conversation
  • Russian: лёгкая бесе́да (ljóxkaja beséda) — idle conversation
  • Russian: све́тский разгово́р (svétskij razgovór) — idle conversation
  • Spanish: charla — idle conversation
  • Spanish: palique — idle conversation
  • Spanish: cháchara — idle conversation
  • Spanish: teque — idle conversation
  • Spanish: charloteo — idle conversation
  • Swedish: kallprat — idle conversation
  • Swedish: småprat — idle conversation
  • Welsh: mân siarad — idle conversation