conversational

Etymology

It is formed from English conversation + -al.^[2][3][4][5] The noun conversation came into Middle English in the mid-14th century, from Old French conversacion and directly from Latin conversātiō, a noun of action from conversor (“to live, dwell, keep company with”).^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Belonging to or suited to conversation: 1779, in Fanny Burney's diary.^[2][3]

Semantic evolution

The adjective first described talk itself, and since 1799, in Southey's letters, also people who are ready and fond of conversation.^[2][4] Merriam-Webster also records it for an easy, informal style of writing, like speech.^[6]

Timeline

• 1779 – of or belonging to conversation.^[2][3]
• 1799 – of people, fond of or good at conversation.^[2]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Of, used in or suited to conversation; like speech in style, informal: She spoke a conversational Italian.^[6][4][2]
2. Fond of or good at conversation; talkative.^[6][4][2]

Word family

• conversationally
• conversationalist
• nonconversational
• preconversational
• unconversational

Related words

• converse
• conversation
• conversant

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b c d Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
5. ^ Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
6. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster