conversationalist
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of conversationalist
First recorded in 1830–40; conversational + -ist
Explanation
A conversationalist is someone who likes to chat, and is good at it. Conversationalists love to have — surprise! — conversations. If you’re seated at a long formal dinner party, you hope the person next to you is a great conversationalist or you’re in for a long night. A great conversationalist will tell you interesting things and probably make you laugh. For a conversationalist, chatting and bantering come easily. A conversationalist is witty and clever, like Dorothy Parker. A bad conversationalist would say inappropriate things, like tell you about an infection just as you’re taking a bite of mashed potatoes.
Vocabulary lists containing conversationalist
The Catcher in the Rye
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Words with 15 or More Letters, List 3
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"A Job for Valentin" and "In the Heart of a Hero"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Cohen said one of her secrets to longevity is sleeping more than eight hours a night, as well as being an avid reader and conversationalist.
From BBC ● Jun. 13, 2026
Jack Paar was the witty conversationalist that made Middle America feel like it was invited to a sophisticated Manhattan cocktail party.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 18, 2025
Taylor is a gregarious, animated conversationalist who speaks with passion, humor and conviction.
From Salon ● Sep. 30, 2023
And now that he’d passed, Daren realized he had no one left to talk to, not that his dad had been much of a conversationalist at the end.
From Slate ● Feb. 25, 2023
I was being a lousy conversationalist, but I didn't feel like it.
From "The Catcher in the Rye" by J. D. Salinger
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
