To save this word, you'll need to log in.
Definition of happy talk
1 : informal talk among the participants in a television news broadcast also : a broadcast format featuring such talk
2 : optimistic talk
Examples of happy talk in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web Foolish happy talk aside, the administration has, by and large, acted appropriately.
—
The Editors, National Review, "Can We Please Be Sober-Minded about the Coronavirus?," 3 Mar. 2020 The right was now a font of happy talk about the dawn of a new age of liberty based on free-market economics and American firepower.
—
Jacob Heilbrunn, The New Republic, "The Neocons Strike Back," 23 Jan. 2020 Second, Halliburton largely dispensed with the happy talk on its call.
—
Liam Denning | Bloomberg, Washington Post, "Halliburton Writes the Script for Fracker Earnings," 21 Oct. 2019 Jim Manley, an attorney with the Pacific Legal Foundation (which litigates free-speech issues), told Reason something similar:
As the Supreme Court has said there’s no happy talk requirement in the First Amendment.
—
Katherine Timpf, National Review, "Massachusetts Bill Would Jail People for Using the Word ‘Bitch’," 23 Oct. 2019 For all of the happy talk, though, Trump came under pressure to end his lengthy trade dispute with China that is hurting other nations as well.
—
Fortune, "Trump Portrays G-7 as a Love Fest," 27 Aug. 2019 For all of the happy talk, though, Trump came under pressure to end his lengthy trade dispute with China that is hurting other nations as well.
—
Washington Post, "Trump portrays G-7 as a lovefest, papering over differences," 27 Aug. 2019 For all of the happy talk, though, Trump came under pressure to end his lengthy trade dispute with China that is hurting other nations as well.
—
Fortune, "Trump Portrays G-7 as a Love Fest," 27 Aug. 2019 For all of the happy talk, though, Trump came under pressure to end his lengthy trade dispute with China that is hurting other nations as well.
—
Washington Post, "Trump portrays G-7 as a lovefest, papering over differences," 27 Aug. 2019
See MoreThese example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'happy talk.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Keep scrolling for more
Comments on happy talk
What made you want to look up happy talk? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Test Your Vocabulary
Name that Thing: Flower Edition
- Name that flower
Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?
TAKE THE QUIZ
Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.
TAKE THE QUIZLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridgedWords at Play
Ask the Editors
Share happy talk
Time Traveler for happy talk
The first known use of happy talk was in 1971
See more words from the same year