confabulate

verb

con·​fab·​u·​late kən-ˈfa-byə-ˌlāt 

confabulated; confabulating

intransitive verb

1

: to talk informally : chat

2

: to hold a discussion : confer

3

: to fill in gaps in memory by fabrication

A major characteristic of brain-damaged patients is the tendency to confabulate—to hide and dissemble about their damage.

—Peter R. Breggin

confabulation

kən-ˌfa-byə-ˈlā-shən 

noun

confabulator

kən-ˈfa-byə-ˌlā-tər 

noun

confabulatory

kən-ˈfa-byə-lə-ˌtȯr-ē 

adjective

Did you know?

Confabulate is a fabulous word for making fantastic fabrications. Given the similarities in spelling and sound, you might guess that confabulate and fabulous come from the same root, and they do—the Latin fābula, which refers to a conversation or a story. Another fābula descendant that continues to tell tales in English is fable. All three words have long histories in English: fable first appears in writing in the 14th century, and fabulous follows in the 15th. Confabulate is a relative newcomer, appearing at the beginning of the 1600s.

Synonyms

• advise
• confab
• confer
• consult
• counsel
• parley
• treat

Examples of confabulate in a Sentence

an Alzheimer's support group in which caregivers can confabulate as well as commiserate

Recent Examples on the Web

Confabulation seems to be more frequent in the face of repeatedly unpacking a memory; in other words, someone like EpicJourneyMan, who regularly ordered children’s videos and watched them to find damaged tape, is more likely to confabulate a specific memory from that material. —Caitlin Aamodt, Discover Magazine, 16 Feb. 2017

See above for my attempt to confabulate a story linking the three random concepts of a cat, a fire engine and a chair. —Neuroskeptic, Discover Magazine, 25 Oct. 2010

Consider Samuel and Miranda in their hotel’s breakfast area: The personnel dressed in white jackets the next morning were busy confabulating and joking with one another while cheesy loud music was playing in the background. —Katy Waldman, The New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2019

Then Michael confabulated much longer and more fruitfully. —Josh Rottenberg, latimes.com, 9 Oct. 2017

Word History

Etymology

Latin confabulatus, past participle of confabulari, from com- + fabulari to talk, from fabula story — more at fable

First Known Use

circa 1604, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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