tête-à-tête

C2+ Topic:People & Society

US /ˌteɪt.əˈteɪt/ UK /ˌteɪt.əˈteɪt/ See IPA manual

Freq #71098

Meanings

1

noun
a private conversation or meeting between two people

The ambassadors held a brief tête-à-tête before the formal negotiations began.
2

adj
involving or taking place privately between two people

They arranged a tête-à-tête dinner away from the rest of the delegation.
3

noun
an S-shaped sofa on which two people sit facing in opposite directions while able to converse

The drawing room contained an ornate Victorian tête-à-tête upholstered in silk.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a private conversation or... private conversationprivate meeting

2 adj · involving or taking place... private one-to-one

3 noun · an s-shaped sofa on which... conversation sofavis-à-vis

Opposites

public discussion

Word family

Related forms conversation vis-à-vis

Etymology

Borrowed from French tête-à-tête, literally head to head, and used in English from the late seventeenth century for a private meeting or conversation. The furniture sense arose in the nineteenth century for a two-seat sofa designed to facilitate intimate conversation.

Topics

People & Society Word Formation & Derivatives Register & Style

External links

# tête-à-tête

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun, adj
**IPA (US):** /ˌteɪt.əˈteɪt/
**IPA (UK):** /ˌteɪt.əˈteɪt/
**Frequency rank:** 71098

## Meanings
1. a private conversation or meeting between two people
2. involving or taking place privately between two people
3. an S-shaped sofa on which two people sit facing in opposite directions while able to converse

## Examples
- The ambassadors held a brief tête-à-tête before the formal negotiations began.
- They arranged a tête-à-tête dinner away from the rest of the delegation.
- The drawing room contained an ornate Victorian tête-à-tête upholstered in silk.

## Synonyms
- private conversation
- private meeting
- one-to-one

## Antonyms
- public discussion

## Related Forms
- conversation
- vis-à-vis

## Etymology
Borrowed from French tête-à-tête, literally head to head, and used in English from the late seventeenth century for a private meeting or conversation. The furniture sense arose in the nineteenth century for a two-seat sofa designed to facilitate intimate conversation.

## Topics
- People & Society
- Word Formation & Derivatives
- Register & Style

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