Backchatted

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To have responded or spoken back in a disrespectful or cheeky manner in conversation
2. to engage in a verbal exchange characterized by sassy or defiant replies
3. to communicate in a way that counters authority or challenges the speaker's statements

Etymology: "Backchatted" is the past tense of "backchat," so it simply carries the verb's history of giving impertinent replies. That history is a compound of two plain English words. "Back" descends from Old English "bæc," tracing back through Proto-Germanic to a Proto-Indo-European root, while "chat" is a clipping of "chatter," which goes back to Middle English "chateren" and "chiteren," imitative words meant to echo the sound of rapid, idle talk. Put together, "backchat" means chatter returned in one's own direction: a reply to a superior, parent or authority that answers back rather than deferring. The compound is English-made, with no foreign source, and its parts stay transparent, which is why the meaning is easy to guess from the pieces.

Synonyms: talked back, retorted, replied, answered, responded

Antonyms: obeyed, complied, consented, yielded, submitted