tittle-tattle

/ˈtɪtl tætl/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈtɪtl tætl/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈti-tᵊl-ˌta-tᵊl How to pronounce tittle-tattle (audio)/ (ame, mw)

tittle-tattle — noun

1. conversation or reports about other people that are often unkind, based on guess

1.名詞B2
釋義

conversation or reports about other people that are often unkind, based on guesswork rather than facts, or simply false.

例句

The office was full of tittle-tattle about who would be promoted next.

collocation: full of tittle-tattle

Amina's story was just tittle-tattle with no evidence to back it up.

同義詞
  • gossip

    the most common synonym; neutral-to-negative in tone, used in everyday speech

  • hearsay

    focuses on lack of direct evidence; more formal than tittle-tattle

  • chatter

    can be neutral (just talk), whereas tittle-tattle implies unkind or unreliable content

  • prattle

    emphasises childish or meaningless quality; less common in modern use

反義詞
  • fact

    information supported by evidence

  • truth

    what actually happened, opposed to invented stories

文法句型

tittle-tattle about [someone/something]

用法筆記

Uncountable noun — no plural form (✗ tittle-tattles). Often carries a slightly dismissive or mocking tone: the speaker suggests the talk is trivial and unreliable. Common in phrases like 'idle tittle-tattle' or 'mere tittle-tattle'.

常見錯誤

❌I heard some tittle-tattles about them.
✅I heard some tittle-tattle about them.
💡tittle-tattle is uncountable and has no plural form.
❌Stop tittle-tattling in the hallway.
✅Stop the tittle-tattle in the hallway.
💡tittle-tattle is a noun, not a verb; the verb form is simply 'tattle'.