Pally
What it means
Friendly and comfortably familiar in an informal way.
Reach for it when describing people who interact with easy, visible friendliness
The two presenters sounded pally without excluding the rest of the panel.
Words to choose between 5
| playful | |
|---|---|
| everyday | |
| professional | |
| literary |
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playful
chummy
Suits conspicuous closeness expressed through relaxed informality
Careful Chummy can imply cliquishness or an intimacy others find suspicious.
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playful
matey
Fits when in informal British speech about a deliberately companionable manner
Careful Matey can sound forced, patronizing, or regionally marked.
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everyday
Fits when general warmth and goodwill are sufficient
Careful Friendly does not suggest the same degree of easy familiarity.
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professional
Fits if established ease rather than affection is the relevant quality
Careful Familiar can mean merely well-known or even overly informal.
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literary
Fits when quiet ease in another's company deserves emphasis
Careful Companionable is gentler and less colloquial than pally.
Opposites 3
- aloof
- hostile
- distant
Common phrases 3
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get pally
The new neighbors began to get pally while repairing the shared fence.
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pally relationship
Their pally relationship made the interview feel more like a conversation.
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too pally
A referee who seems too pally with one side risks undermining trust.
Definitions and examples are written for this site. How words are chosen Recording: Vealhurl, Southern England accent, from Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 Updated