What does prattle mean?
Prattle means to talk continuously, usually in a way that is light, informal, and lacking serious purpose. As a verb, it describes the steady or rapid flow of everyday conversation, often about ordinary or trivial subjects: friends prattle over coffee, children prattle while playing, or a speaker prattles on without reaching a conclusion. As a noun, prattle refers to talk of that kind. The word can sound affectionate when it describes relaxed chatter, but it is often mildly critical when it suggests that the conversation has no substance. Prattle is especially useful for conveying the texture of social interaction rather than a deliberate exchange of information. It is closely related in meaning to chatter and prate, although prate can carry a stronger suggestion of boastfulness or tedious talking, while babble more often implies confused or incoherent speech.
To talk continuously or at length, especially in a light or inconsequential way.
"She prattled on about her new neighbours."
Commonly used for friendly but trivial conversation; it may also suggest pointless or excessive talking.
Continuous, light, or inconsequential talk.
"The room was filled with the prattle of the guests."
Usually uncountable in modern use, though prattles is occasionally used for separate instances or kinds of talk.
Usually uncountable; the plural is uncommon and is used mainly when referring to separate instances of prattling talk.
"The programme was interrupted by the prattles of the audience."
Prattle captures the sound of conversation that has all the motion of speech but little of its substance.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does prattle come from?
Prattle developed in the late 16th century as a diminutive or frequentative form of prate, an older word meaning to talk, chatter, or speak at length. Prate itself is generally traced to Dutch praten, meaning to chatter or talk. The suffix in prattle contributed the sense of continuous, light, and often repetitive talk that characterizes the modern word.
Related word forms
How prattle is actually used
The word is generally neutral to mildly disapproving in tone. It is often used for talk that is friendly and inconsequential, but it can imply that the speaker is wasting time or failing to make a serious point.
Easily confused with prattle
Prattle is talk that is generally light, continuous, and inconsequential, whereas prate more often implies talking at length, often with a boastful or self-important tone.
Prattle can be intelligible but trivial chatter, while babble more specifically suggests rapid, confused, or incoherent speech.