Synonyms

yakety-yak

American

[yak-i-tee-yak] / ˈyæk ɪ tiˈyæk /

Sometimes yakity-yak or yackety-yak,

verb (used without object)

yakety-yakked, yakety-yakking

Slang. yak.

Usage

What does yakety-yak mean? Yakety-yak is a slang term for aimless, pointless talk, especially when it goes on and on.The related slang term yak is most commonly used as a verb that means to talk, especially aimlessly, without stopping, and about unimportant things. Yak is also spelled yack and yakety-yak can also be spelled yackety-yak, yackety-yack, or yakity-yak. Yack (or yak) is also sometimes used as a noun to mean the same thing as yakety-yak, as is the word yakking (or yacking), as in Quit your yakking!Yakety-yak is the kind of trivial conversation that results from people yakking. Both terms are typically used at least somewhat negatively to criticize talking in such a way and imply that it is annoying or excessive.Example: Would you two stop your yakety-yak and come help us?

Etymology

Origin of yakety-yak

First recorded in 1945–50; apparently imitative

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.

Keilly McQuail brings just the right yakety-yak narcissism to her portrayal of Kiki, the clique’s de facto boss and the first to get wed.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 13, 2018

Now it’s your chance to yakety-yak: Is the form a valid theatrical endeavor?

From New York Times • Sep. 1, 2011

Ferguson believed that a paper should be responsible for every word it prints�and so he banned all syndicated columnists, snorting that they print "the yakety-yak that fills the room after the fourth dry martini."

From Time Magazine Archive

I’m telling you, we can yakety-yak until next Tuesday here.

From "Twelve Angry Men" by Reginald Rose

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023