denoting speech used to express or create an atmosphere of shared feelings, goodwill, or sociability rather than to impart information.

Pronunciation:
FAT-ick

In a sentence:
Harry was such a suspicious guy, that even a phatic inquiry like “What’s up, dude?” led him to think for hours on end about what the implication was of that one statement…

In a different sentence:
Susan, an empty-brained bimbo, often feigned interest in her less attractive peers by recycling meaningless phatic phrases while nodding and responding with equally empty “Uh huhs” and “Mm hmms.”

Fact:
Comedian Martin Lawrence claims to have introduced the phatic catchphrase “You go, girl!” on his Fox sitcom, “Martin.”