conversation

noun

he may have overheard our conversation

Syn:

discussion, talk, chat, gossip, tête-à-tête, heart-to-heart, exchange, dialogue; informal confab, jaw, chitchat, chinwag, gabfest; formal confabulation, colloquy

••

conversation, chat, colloquy, communion, dialogue, parley, tête-á-tête

It is nearly impossible for most people to get through a day without having a conversation with someone, even if it's only a chat with the mailman. Although conversation can and does take place in all sorts of contexts, both formal and informal, the word usually implies a relaxed, casual exchange. A chat is the least formal of all conversations, whether it's a father talking to his son about girls or two women having a tête-á-tête (French for "head to head", meaning a confidential conversation) about their wayward husbands. Men, of course, often complain that women don't understand the meaning of dialogue, which is a two-way conversation that may involve opposing points of view. Argument is even more likely to play a role in a parley, which formally is a discussion between enemies regarding the terms of a truce. A colloquy is the most formal of all conversations (a colloquy on nuclear disarmament); it can also be used to jocularly describe a guarded exchange (a brief colloquy with the arresting officer). Communion is a form of conversation as well — one that may take place on such a profound level that no words are necessary (communion with nature).