noun

• Polite conversation about unimportant or uncontroversial matters, especially as engaged in on social occasions.

  ‘propriety required that he face these people and make small talk’

  More example sentences

  • ‘On social occasions, small talk on neutral topics is appropriate and modest gifts are given.’
  • ‘I'm never very good in those situations - polite small talk doesn't agree with me.’
  • ‘He smiled as he set down a tray of mugs in front of a few ladies, who giggled at him and made polite small talk.’
  • ‘He had made polite small talk with her, and that seemed to be about it.’
  • ‘He saw his entire marriage, spent without conversation beyond small talk and bickering.’
  • ‘What distracted me the most yesterday, despite the sadness of the occasion, was the type of small talk that was going on.’
  • ‘India is so consumed with cricket that most conversation about the game is actually small talk.’
  • ‘The awkward small talk is as communicatively insipid as the first time you asked someone out on a date.’
  • ‘As small talk so often does, the chatter turned to the subject of accidental shootings.’
  • ‘Without having been introduced and before the usual small talk, they struck up a conversation about it.’
  • ‘After that we talked some small talk, then I hung up and went back to sleep.’
  • ‘The inanity, the empty politeness of small talk is revealed by its absence.’
  • ‘Pleasant evening, but we don't actually know anyone there, and small talk isn't coming easy for some reason.’
  • ‘Except he doesn't do small talk and he is not stretching his legs.’
  • ‘A lot of small talk was taking place and they continued to smoke more herb.’
  • ‘See that scene after he first arrives wherein the four ex-pats sit and try to make small talk with him, only for it to fail at every turn.’
  • ‘You may recall that Carlo was wont to give Wayne, the delivery boy, a cup of coffee and make small talk about root vegetables.’
  • ‘For now, make small talk in the locker room or ask someone to be your drill partner.’
  • ‘Anthony was trying to make small talk and chuckled, hoping that Johnson would remember him.’

  Synonyms

  small talk, chat, chatting, chatter, chitter-chatter, prattling, prattle, gossip, tittle-tattle, tattle