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

Other Word Forms

• garrulously adverb
• garrulousness noun
• nongarrulous adjective
• nongarrulously adverb
• nongarrulousness noun
• ungarrulous adjective
• ungarrulously adverb
• ungarrulousness 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

About 15 minutes into a thoughtful Zoom conversation, the garrulous Niven poses a question of his own: “Why was I managing Guns N’ Roses?”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Here, he plays a garrulous video-store clerk named Hank who challenges customers to name the best movies about underdogs.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

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

Read more on New York Times

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

Read more on Salon

The academy eventually instituted a 45-second time limit and directed the orchestra to play garrulous winners off stage.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• chatty 
• glib 
• loquacious 
• voluble