garrulous

[ gar-uh-luhs, gar-yuh- ]

adjective

1. excessively talkative in a rambling, roundabout manner, especially about trivial matters.

   Synonyms: babbling

   Antonyms: taciturn, uncommunicative, reticent

2. wordy or diffuse:

   a garrulous and boring speech.

   Synonyms: prolix, verbose

garrulous

/ ɡæˈruːlɪtɪ; ˈɡærʊləs /

adjective

1. given to constant and frivolous chatter; loquacious; talkative
2. wordy or diffuse; prolix

Derived Forms

• ˈgarrulously, adverb
• ˈgarrulousness, noun

Other Words From

• garru·lous·ly adverb
• garru·lous·ness noun
• non·garru·lous adjective
• non·garru·lous·ly adverb
• non·garru·lous·ness noun
• un·garru·lous adjective
• un·garru·lous·ly adverb
• un·garru·lous·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of garrulous¹

First recorded in 1605–15; from Latin garrulus “talkative, garrulous,” equivalent to garr(īre) ) “to chatter” + -ulus -ulous

Word History and Origins

Origin of garrulous¹

C17: from Latin garrulus, from garrīre to chatter

Synonym Study

See talkative.

Example Sentences

Mr. Moes saw Mr. Trump’s verbal mistakes as the foreseeable gaffes of a garrulous candidate, not as signs of aging.

From New York Times

Dabney Coleman, an award-winning television and movie actor best known for his over-the-top portrayals of garrulous, egomaniacal characters, died on Thursday at his home in Santa Monica, Calif. He was 92.

From New York Times

Biden's national campaign chair Jen O'Malley Dillon wrote in the letter that the commission could not be trusted to run a professional debate after failing to enforce its own rules on a garrulous Trump in 2020; letting Trump attend the second 2020 debate despite showing signs of COVID-19; and declining to schedule the 2024 debates before October to account for increased early voting.

From Salon

Geoff Rickly, the band’s gregarious, garrulous frontman, spent the past decade as a multitasker in Brooklyn’s art scenes before documenting his path to sobriety with his 2023 literary debut, “Someone Who Isn’t Me.”

From New York Times

Somebody who is always garrulous and tends to go off on tangents when speaking may do this more frequently.

From Salon

Related Words

• chatty
• glib
• loquacious
• voluble