garrulous

adjective

gar·ru·lous | \ ˈger-ə-ləs

, ˈga-rə- also ˈger-yə- \

Definition of garrulous

1 : given to prosy, rambling, or tedious loquacity : pointlessly or annoyingly talkative

2 : wordy sense 1 garrulous speeches

Other Words from garrulous Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym Did You Know? More Example Sentences Learn More about garrulous

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Choose the Right Synonym for garrulous

talkative, loquacious, garrulous, voluble mean given to talk or talking. talkative may imply a readiness to engage in talk or a disposition to enjoy conversation. a talkative neighbor loquacious suggests the power of expressing oneself articulately, fluently, or glibly. a loquacious spokesperson garrulous implies prosy, rambling, or tedious loquacity. garrulous traveling companions voluble suggests a free, easy, and unending loquacity. a voluble raconteur

Did You Know?

English has many adjectives that share the meaning "given to talk" or "talking." "Talkative" may imply a readiness to talk or a disposition to enjoy conversation, while "loquacious" suggests the power of expressing oneself articulately, fluently, or glibly. "Voluble" suggests a free, easy, and unending talkativeness, and "garrulous" implies talkativeness that is dull, rambling, or tedious. "Garrulous," by the way, derives from the Latin verb garrire, which means (no surprise here) "to chatter" or "to babble."

Examples of garrulous in a Sentence

Salman grew ever more garrulous as the yellow liquid in the bottle went down; Baal couldn't recall when he'd last heard anyone talk up such a storm. — Salman Rushdie, The Satanic Verses, 1989 To an American reader in 1982, confronted with this garrulous, indefatigably quirky, I'm-just-typing-on-yellow-paper-and-associating-ideas-and-memories prose work of l936, such a judgment, by a presumably informed person, seems preposterous. — Joyce Carol Oates, New York Times Book Review, 3 Oct. 1982 He was not garrulous by any means. On the contrary, there was a fine reserve in his manner toward the entire domestic economy of his life which was all that is comprehended by the popular term, gentlemanly. — Theodore Dreiser, Sister Carrie, 1900 He became more garrulous after drinking a couple of beers. a garrulous boy who was in constant trouble for talking out of turn

Recent Examples on the Web Winston calls the kind, garrulous John the man with the ideas; Robinson's musical voice makes those riffs entertaining. — Jim Higgins, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "In Milwaukee Chamber Theatre's 'The Island,' two men starved for freedom resist being crushed by apartheid," 3 Mar. 2021 Wehmhoff is garrulous and lively; Munson is eloquent and tempered. — Krista Stevens, Longreads, "Congratulations, You Now Own a Newspaper," 1 Mar. 2021 Biden has a reputation for being undisciplined as a political actor, of being garrulous and unrestrained, a geyser of flubs and faux pas. — Los Angeles Times, "Commentary: Presidential inaugurations are theater. What a difference this new cast makes," 20 Jan. 2021 Burly, garrulous Mike Dorety, a steady hand in so many emergencies, did not like to stray far from his wife. — Los Angeles Times, "‘We called it Voyage of the Damned’: Days of despair on the Grand Princess," 23 Dec. 2020 Mike Denne, 69, a garrulous locksmith in Mitchell, was no activist, not a vocal anti-masker by any means. — Marc Fisher, Washington Post, "Covid’s U.S. toll: Nearly 300,000 dead and a stalemate between fatalism and hope," 12 Dec. 2020 Other unlikely companions follow, including a garrulous raven, two contentious mallards, a lonely rat and a handful of kind humans. — Emily Bobrow, WSJ, "Novelist Jane Smiley Has a Soft Spot for Happy Endings," 4 Dec. 2020 Hearst and his longtime lover, actress Marion Davies, hosted the garrulous, hard-drinking screenwriter Mankiewicz many times for gatherings at the Hearst castle, San Simeon. — Michael Phillips, chicagotribune.com, "The Chicago stories Netflix’s ‘Mank’ didn’t get around to telling," 11 Nov. 2020 In an era of increasingly bitter partisan enmity, the odd coupling of Ginsburg – petite, serious, seemingly shy – and Scalia – rotund, garrulous, overtly opinionated – may be viewed as an anachronism. — Richard Wolf, USA TODAY, "Opera, travel, food, law: The strange bedfellows friendship of Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Antonin Scalia," 20 Sep. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'garrulous.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

History and Etymology for garrulous

borrowed from Latin garrulus, from garrīre "to chatter, talk rapidly" (probably of imitative origin) + -ulus, deverbal suffix denoting inclination or repetitive action (going back to Indo-European -l-, participial suffix) — more at -ous

Note: For possible relation to a proposed Indo-European base *ǵeh₂r-, see care entry 1.

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