dialogue

Or di·a·log

[dahy-uh-lawg, -log]

noun

1. conversation between two or more persons.

2. the conversation between characters in a novel, drama, etc.

3. an exchange of ideas or opinions on a particular issue, especially a political or religious issue, with a view to reaching an amicable agreement or settlement.

4. a literary work in the form of a conversation.

   a dialogue of Plato.

verb (used without object)

dialogued, dialoguing 

1. to carry on a dialogue; converse.

2. to discuss areas of disagreement frankly in order to resolve them.

verb (used with object)

dialogued, dialoguing 

1. to put into the form of a dialogue.

dialogue

/ ˈdaɪəˌlɒɡ, ˌdaɪəˈlɒdʒɪk /

noun

1. conversation between two or more people

2. an exchange of opinions on a particular subject; discussion

3. the lines spoken by characters in drama or fiction

4. a particular passage of conversation in a literary or dramatic work

5. a literary composition in the form of a dialogue

6. a political discussion between representatives of two nations or groups

verb

1. (tr) to put into the form of a dialogue

2. (intr) to take part in a dialogue; converse

Other Word Forms

• dialoguer noun
• self-dialog noun
• self-dialogue noun
• underdialogue noun
• dialogic adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of dialogue¹

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English, from Old French dïalogue, Latin dialogus, from Greek diálogos; equivalent to dia- + -logue

Word History and Origins

Origin of dialogue¹

C13: from Old French dialoge, from Latin dialogus, from Greek dialogos, from dialegesthai to converse; see _dialect

Example Sentences

I’ve got no evidence for Trier’s restlessness other than an observation that “Sentimental Value” is most vibrant when the dialogue is snide and the visuals are snappy.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

These predators practice unfettered instant Darwinism while lobbing macho boasts at each other in the extraterrestrial version of dialogue written for professional wrestlers.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

With each passing episode, it grows clearer that their profession was chosen to lend a touch of realism to the rancidly malicious, aggressively dimwitted dialogue screamed across long tables.

Read more on Salon

China has mastered the art of delay diplomacy: when pressure mounts, it promises “dialogue and cooperation,” only to resume its mercantilist playbook once the threat recedes.

Read more on MarketWatch

The storytelling is done mostly in episodic glimpses, with few conventional dialogue scenes, so the film comes to feel like the fragments of a memory.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• communication 
• conference 
• conversation 
• discourse 
• discussion 
• exchange