garrulous

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adjective gar·ru·lous \ ˈger-ə-ləs , ˈga-rə- also ˈger-yə- \

Updated on: 11 Sep 2017

Definition of garrulous

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

2 :wordy 1

garrulous speeches

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garrulously

adverb

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garrulousness

noun

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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 of garrulous from the Web

Without altars, egos, or religious artifacts elsewhere in this sprawling, garrulous piece, audiences need an anchor as to what’s going on here and what the performance actually is.

— david patrick stearns, Philly.com, "The latest in performance art: An all-nighter with 'nuns' at the Barnes Foundation," 7 July 2017
Colin is the garrulous front man, pouring wine and ribbing guests.

— katherine wheelock, Condé Nast Traveler, "Why Languedoc Is Like Nowhere Else in France," 9 June 2017
The venerable St. Louis Symphony — in America, only the New York Philharmonic is older — has chosen Stéphane Denève to be its next music director, selecting a cheerful, garrulous Frenchman to follow the new-music champion David Robertson.

— zachary woolfe, New York Times, "A Frenchman Is Named Next Conductor of the St. Louis Symphony," 7 June 2017
Grisham is garrulous and funny when talking about himself, much more so than the tone of rectitude in some of his books might suggest.

— janet maslin, New York Times, "Plot Twist! John Grisham’s New Thriller Is Positively Lawyerless," 31 May 2017
Gwen (amusingly garrulous and high-strung Deb Anderson) is similarly dissatisfied with her life as a stay-at-home mom.

— sam hurwitt, The Mercury News, "Review: Family, feminism collide in San Jose stage comedy," 22 May 2017
Then there’s Tollund Man’s hair, which may end up being the most garrulous part of him.

— christian als, Smithsonian, "Europe’s Famed Bog Bodies Are Starting to Reveal Their Secrets," 2 May 2017
Saunders’s witty and garrulous graveyard is filled with semi-spirits in a state of denial.

— thomas mallon, The New Yorker, "George Saunders Gets Inside Lincoln’s Head," 13 Feb. 2017
The heat from the wood stove makes the place all the more primal and garrulous.

— david coggins, Town & Country, "Author and Illustrator David Coggins Takes Us Through Paris in His Story, 1999," 10 Dec. 2015

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.

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."

Origin and Etymology of 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 ¹care.

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: circa 1611

See Words from the same year

garrulous Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of 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.