as in personally
in person and usually privately
met tête-à-tête with the student's parents to discuss his disciplinary problems in class
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in chat
friendly, informal conversation or an instance of this
had a quick tête-à-tête with my neighbor before heading off to work
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Recent Examples of tête-à-tête
Bloomberg, Mercury News, 30 Jan. 2026
Told mostly through dialogue, Konfidenz is an intensely psychological tete-a-tete about a woman who receives a phone call from a stranger claiming to be her friend, but soon is revealed to have intimate and dangerous knowledge about her life.
—Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Jan. 2026
Social outings, sports events and fun activities with kids plus romantic tete-a-tetes are tops on your menu.
—Georgia Nicols, Denver Post, 5 Jan. 2026
Texas' initial redistricting saga launched a national tete-a-tete, inspiring other states to redraw their own maps.
—Brittany Shepherd, ABC News, 3 Dec. 2025
Later, there is caper-like comedy at a funeral home, which then sobers in a poignant tete-a-tete between Yun-ji and Min-yeong, astute revelations of the broken homes that shaped our young heroines, a climactic riot of slapstick destruction at an emergency school meeting and more.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 22 Sep. 2025
Another video captured Xi, Modi and Putin engaging in a lighthearted tete-a-tete on the Summit’s sidelines.
—Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 2 Sep. 2025
Aside from that tete-a-tete, there was some superb quality on show.
—Beren Cross, New York Times, 28 July 2025
Noun
The tete-a-tete offers a window into the idiosyncratic relationship between Newsom and Trump.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 30 Jan. 2026
Told mostly through dialogue, Konfidenz is an intensely psychological tete-a-tete about a woman who receives a phone call from a stranger claiming to be her friend, but soon is revealed to have intimate and dangerous knowledge about her life.
—Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Jan. 2026
Social outings, sports events and fun activities with kids plus romantic tete-a-tetes are tops on your menu.
—Georgia Nicols, Denver Post, 5 Jan. 2026
Texas' initial redistricting saga launched a national tete-a-tete, inspiring other states to redraw their own maps.
—Brittany Shepherd, ABC News, 3 Dec. 2025
Later, there is caper-like comedy at a funeral home, which then sobers in a poignant tete-a-tete between Yun-ji and Min-yeong, astute revelations of the broken homes that shaped our young heroines, a climactic riot of slapstick destruction at an emergency school meeting and more.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 22 Sep. 2025
Another video captured Xi, Modi and Putin engaging in a lighthearted tete-a-tete on the Summit’s sidelines.
—Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 2 Sep. 2025
Aside from that tete-a-tete, there was some superb quality on show.
—Beren Cross, New York Times, 28 July 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tête-à-tête
Adverb
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Similarly, instead of sounding the alarms in front of the cameras amidst nationwide ICE blowback, Lamont pressed the president directly and personally behind closed doors, securing a commitment that agents wouldn’t be sent where they weren’t requested.—
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld,
Hartford Courant,
29 Mar. 2026
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The plea agreement also states Kimball personally used a small amount of the money for herself, mainly toward mortgage payments or gifts to family members.—
Logan Smith,
CBS News,
29 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The Inn stays shut during winter and ‘pack ice’ season, which some locals will tell you is the most beautiful time of all—for snowmobiling and snowshoeing through the Island’s interior by day, and come evening, getting invited into someone's warm shed for a tipple and a chat.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
2 Apr. 2026
-
May 21 – June 20 A random chat could inspire you to make smarter moves.—
Tarot.com,
Hartford Courant,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
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But the proposal was full of cartoonishly goofy faux spy talk.—
David D. Kirkpatrick,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
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Pakistan said Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt will send top diplomats to Islamabad for talks aimed at ending the war, arriving Sunday for a two-day visit.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
29 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tête-à-tête.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/t%C3%AAte-%C3%A0-t%C3%AAte. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
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