Loquacious undeniably has a certain poetic ring. It’s been a favorite of the writerly sort since it made its first appearance in English in the 17th century and, with poetic license, writers stretched its meaning beyond “talkative,” and especially “excessively talkative,” to describe such things as the chattering of birds and the babbling of brooks. The ultimate source of all this chattiness is loquī, a Latin verb meaning “to talk, speak.” Other words descended from loquī include colloquial, eloquent, soliloquy, and ventriloquism.
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
Examples of loquacious in a Sentence
… long-cultivated dislikes and resentments, combined with a general expectation of coming apocalypse. He talked about these topics in a manner that managed to be tight-lipped and loquacious at the same time.—Ian Frazier, New Yorker, 22 & 29 Dec. 2003… the flaw of the genre is not in betraying the loquacious John Williams and the chatty Father Foucquet, but in failing to schedule an interview with the reticent Eunice Williams and the tongue-tied John Hu.—Jill Lepore, Journal of American History, June 2001With a wonderful memory for detail, this talkative woman—who my father said never forgets anything—became truly loquacious.—Joseph A. Amato, Dust, 2000
a loquacious and glib politician
the loquacious host of a radio talk show
Recent Examples on the WebAlong the way, Strings does lots of talking – lots and lots of talking, loquacious and hambone.—Greg Evans, Deadline, 16 Oct. 2024 The loquacious Wonder squeezed nearly as many stories as classic songs into his set.—Melissa Ruggieri, USA TODAY, 16 Oct. 2024 For someone as social, loquacious and competitive as Domo, his career first stint on the IL was tortuous, boring and a test of his upbeat attitude.—Candace Oehler, Forbes, 14 Oct. 2024 All three women are loquacious about the sport — excited to share their experiences and see its expansion on college campuses closer to home.—Eileen T. Meslar, Chicago Tribune, 5 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for loquacious
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'loquacious.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Latin loquāc-, loquāx "talkative, verbose" (from loquī "to talk, speak" + -āc-, deverbal suffix denoting habitual or successful performance) + -ious — more at eloquent, audacious
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