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dialogue

UK/ˈdaɪəlɒɡ/US/ˈdaɪəˌlɔɡ/
nounB1+Common in everyday speech and writing · #4,112 of 15,258leans written

Other forms: dialogues

A dialogue is a conversation, especially one written down. Sharp dialogue, a dialogue between the two, open a dialogue.

In fiction it is the hardest thing to write well, because real speech transcribed is unreadable and dialogue must sound real without being real. In diplomacy a dialogue means talks. The dia- means across rather than two, so a dialogue can have several speakers.

Definitions of dialogue

  1. 1noundialogueA conversation, especially one written down.B1+

    “The film has very little dialogue; the story is told mostly through music and pictures.”

dialogue is a conversation.

Also accepted in games: dialog

Where it comes from

Greek dialogos means a conversation, from dia, across, plus legein, to speak. The dia- does not mean two.

  1. Ancient Greek

    διάλογος — conversation, discourse

  2. Latin

    dialogus

  3. Old French

    dialoge

  4. Middle English

    dialog

  5. English, today

    dialogue

Built from

  • διά · Ancient Greek — through, inter
  • λόγος · Ancient Greek — speech, oration, discourse
  • διαλέγομαι · Ancient Greek — to converse
  • λέγειν · Ancient Greek — to speak

Middle English dialog, from Old French dialoge (French dialogue), from Latin dialogus, from Ancient Greek διάλογος (“conversation, discourse”), from διά (“through, inter”) + λόγος (“speech, oration, discourse”), from διαλέγομαι (“to converse”), from διά + λέγειν (“to speak”), equivalent to dia- + -logue. Also analyzable as di- + -alogue.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA

Practise this word

dialogue in the wild

  • Timaeus, written c. 360 BC, is one of Plato's dialogues, mostly in the form of long speeches by Timaeus and Critias.

    Timaeus (dialogue)

  • The dramatic setting of the Timaeus is unusual for Plato's dialogues.

    Timaeus (dialogue)

  • Meno is a Socratic dialogue written by Plato around 385 BC, but set at an earlier date around 402 BC.

    Meno

  • Meno begins the dialogue by asking Socrates whether virtue can be taught, acquired by practice, or comes by nature.

    Meno

  • The Republic is a Socratic dialogue authored by Plato around 375 BC, concerning justice, the order and character of the just city-state, and the just man.

    Republic (Plato)

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From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. These sentences were written by other people about their own subjects; they are here to show the word at work, not as anybody’s opinion.