confabulate

American  

[kuhn-fab-yuh-leyt] / kənˈfæb yəˌleɪt /

verb (used without object)

confabulated, confabulating

1. to converse informally; chat.

2. Psychiatry. to replace a gap in one's memory by a falsification that one believes to be true; engage in confabulation.

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confabulate British  

/ kənˈfæbjʊˌleɪt /

verb

1. to talk together; converse; chat

2. psychiatry to replace the gaps left by a disorder of the memory with imaginary remembered experiences consistently believed to be true See also paramnesia

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Other Word Forms

• confabulation noun
• confabulator noun
• confabulatory adjective

Etymology

Origin of confabulate

First recorded in 1600–10; from Latin confābulātus (past participle of confābulārī “to talk together, discuss”); con- ( def. ), fable ( def. ), -ate ¹ ( def. )

Example Sentences

Dr. Ahmed has not personally assessed Mr. Biden but said, in his view, the evidence is “overwhelming” that Mr. Biden is confabulating.

From Washington Times

“We know people confabulate details in many situations, but it was neat to see this play out in the context of imagination,” McCoy says.

From Scientific American

Shawn Oakley has shown that it is easy to induce ChatGPT to create misinformation and even report confabulated studies on a wide range of topics, from medicine to politics to religion.

From Scientific American

I’m a confabulating somnambulist, a bundle of reflexes, twitches and compulsions with no self-knowledge, let alone self-control.

From Scientific American

The personnel dressed in white jackets the next morning were busy confabulating and joking with one another while cheesy loud music was playing in the background.

From The New Yorker