PALAVER Synonyms: 137 Similar and Opposite Words

palaver 1 of 2

noun

pə-ˈla-vər

Definition of palaver

as in discussion

an exchange of views for the purpose of exploring a subject or deciding an issue seemingly endless palaver between the negotiating parties

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

as in chatter

friendly, informal conversation or an instance of this we should get together and have a nice palaver sometime

Synonyms & Similar Words

palaver

2 of 2

verb

as in to chat

to engage in casual or rambling conversation mothers palavering and drinking coffee while watching their children play

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in to coax

to get (someone) to do something by gentle urging, special attention, or flattery I let the salesclerk at the electronics store palaver me into a service contract that I didn't need

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of palaver

Noun

All the palaver over a new stadium, though, can be shelved until the Bears’ season is officially over. — Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 14 Jan. 2026 The central feature is a mass-timber column that branches into ceiling ribs, an indoor urban form of the palaver tree where villagers in West Africa gather to resolve conflicts. — Justin Davidson, Curbed, 5 May 2025

Verb

On the one hand, Hrabal’s palavering bears a direct relation to reality. — Becca Rothfeld, The New Yorker, 19 Nov. 2019 See All Example Sentences for palaver

Recent Examples of Synonyms for palaver

Noun

Researchers also identified discussions about using Tor and maintaining communications after shutdowns.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 4 Sep. 2026
Then the reduced group of selectors will go immediately into discussion on the merits of that candidate.

— Armando Salguero OutKick, FOXNews.com, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of discussion

Noun

Tech Challenges While the chair’s speech and the sideline chatter about economic and political events frequently dominate news from the symposium, Jackson Hole is also an important forum for high level debate on economic research.

— Maria Eloisa Capurro, Fortune, 29 Aug. 2026
In a sprightly performance rife with oddball mannerisms, Gnecco gives Borges equal parts impish wisdom, earthy vulgarity and childlike wonder, rarely letting a moment’s silence go unfilled with eager chatter.

— Guy Lodge, Variety, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of chatter

Verb

Newsom, who chatted with lawmakers at the Capitol on Monday in what will be his last regular legislative session as governor, praised Lowenthal and the bill.

— Queenie Wong, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2026
During the 2013 season, the 49ers lost in the NFC Championship game to the Seattle Seahawks – the team that would bring him in for his only meeting during the 2017 offseason to chat about potentially signing.

— Scott Thompson OutKick, FOXNews.com, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of chat

Verb

Trailing 4-3 in the ninth, Tim Tawa coaxed a one-out walk from Jacob Webb to start the decisive rally.

— CBS News, CBS News, 26 Aug. 2026
The offensive line might kick … butt, and Hafley is a good enough defensive mind to coax a better than expected year out of the defense.

— The Athletic NFL Staff, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of coax

Noun

Packages include 12 hours of rental time, planning consultation, tables and chairs, event setup and tear down, on-site support staff and use of the property for engagement photos.

— Jenna Ebbers, Kansas City Star, 4 Sep. 2026
The government published the findings of the consultation in March, but said there was no clear consensus on strengthening AI copyright laws, despite 81% of respondents endorsing the need for greater copyright protections.

— Jake Kanter, Deadline, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of consultation

Noun

Former mayor Harry Sidhu went to prison on corruption charges, and the two parties never re-engaged on talks.

— Sam Blum, New York Times, 2 Sep. 2026
TickTalkie™ adds instant push-to-talk communication over LTE, with support for watch-to-watch, multi-user, and multi-channel conversations.

— Jon Stojan, USA Today, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of talk

Verb

However, your customers should never feel like their only choice is to converse with a bot.

— John Hall, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026
Researchers have built ArabCulture-Dialogue, the first benchmark for testing whether leading AI models can understand and converse in Modern Standard Arabic and 13 national dialects.

— Melissa Hancock, Fortune, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of converse

Noun

Evaluation score debates haunt the AI industry The question of benchmark accuracy has come up multiple times in the past.

— Emily Forlini, Fortune, 5 Sep. 2026
Raman is now easily scoring off of Bass mishaps, like the mayor’s response to the Lineage warehouse fire and her random broadside against street vendors during a debate in Sherman Oaks last month.

— Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of debate

Browse Nearby Words

palatines

palaver

palavered

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Cite this Entry

Style

“Palaver.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/palaver. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of palaver

noun

verb

Example Sentences

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