EN

Synonyms for prate

  • verb
  • noun

Most common

chatter clack tattle blab

Synonyms by meaning

Verb

chatter, clack, tattle, blab, prattle, palaver, twaddle, gabble, chat, gossip, go on, babble, jabber, tittle-tattle, blabber, piffle, gibber, talk, rattle, rattle on, waffle, chit-chat

Noun

1. Gibberish

gibberish, mumbo-jumbo, rigmarole, rigamarole US, flummery, galimatias, skimble-skamble

Other

chin music, gibble-gabble, clap-trap, bibble-babble, bavardage

Definitions

  1. v. 1

    To talk much and to little purpose; to be loquacious; to speak foolishly.

  2. n. 1

    Talk to little purpose; trifling talk; unmeaningful loquacity.

Related words

Word family
prattle

Forms

Plural
prates → gibberishes, mumbo-jumbos, rigmaroles, flummeries…
Past participle
prated
e.g. prated → chattered, clacked, tattled, blabbed…

Choose the right word

or Prate?

To prate is to talk idly, presumptuously, or foolishly, but not necessarily incoherently.

J. C. Fernald, English Synonyms and Antonyms (1914)

Example sentences

  • chatter She finds comfort in silence rather than chatter.
  • tattle I've got no respect for finks, snitches, or tattle-tales.
  • blab I blab about the boy all the time.

Popularity over time

Word1850 → 2019Trend
pratesteady
chatterrising
clackrising
tattlerising
blabrising

Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.

By length

4 letters
talk1, chat1, blab1
5 letters
clack1
6 letters
gossip2, rattle2, waffle2, babble2, tattle2, jabber, piffle, gibber, gabble
7 letters
chatter2, prattle2, palaver, twaddle2, blabber2
8 letters
flummery
9 letters
gibberish3, rigmarole, bavardage
10 letters
rigamarole, galimatias

The small number after each word is its number of syllables (gossip2 = 2 syllables).